KARACHI:State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) informed on Monday that Pakistan’s total liquid foreign reserves stood at $22,910.3 million on 07 May 2021.
The breakup of the foreign reserves position is as under: Foreign reserves held by SBP are $15,774.5 million while net foreign reserves held by commercial banks are$7,135.8 million.
During the week ended 07 May 2021, SBP reserves increased by $177 million to $15,774.5 million owing to GoP official inflows.
KARACHI:Administrator Karachi Laeeq Ahmed on Monday said that there is always a possibility of unpredictable rains due to climate change that is why we have to be fully prepared for the rain emergency.
“The concerned officers of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation should prepare a detailed contingency plan within a week so that it should be implemented even before the monsoon rains fall,” the administrator said this while addressing a meeting to review measures for rain emergency here.
Senior Director Coordination Khalid Khan, Senior Director Municipal Services Masood Alam, Director General Technical Services Shabih Ul Hasnain Zaidi, Director City Warden Raja Rustam, Director Machine Pool Depot Noman Arshad, Chief Engineer (E and M) Abbas Ali Shah, Syed Muhammad Taha and other concerned officers were also present.
The administrator said that the Works Department would play a pivotal role in rain emergency while Municipal Services, City Wardens, MPD and other departments would work under it. He directed that the plan would contain complete details regarding availability of dewatering pumps, excavators, cranes and other machinery, deployment of operators, manpower and transportation of machinery.
“Trained divers will also be deployed to provide immediate assistance to the citizens in case of any emergency in case of flooding in nullahs during rains so that human lives can be saved by taking immediate action,” he added.
Ahmed said that arrangements had been made to keep the available drainage pumps in active and efficient condition as they may be needed in case of accumulation of water anywhere. He said that he would personally visit and inspect those pumps and ensure their availability. The administrator said that through joint efforts, we have to present a better image of KMC to the people as the citizens of Karachi look to KMC during rains or any emergency situation and hope that timely and effective action will be taken.
Ahmed also cancelled leave applications of the officers and employees and said that no one should be allowed to go on leave, adding the officers should keep in mind that during a rain emergency, they have to be in touch with senior officers round the clock and fulfill their responsibilities.
He warned that otherwise the delinquent officers and employees will have to face suspension as in the current situation, the city cannot afford any kind of negligence or carelessness. He said that all the civic bodies have to work together in connection with the rain emergency. He added that the district municipal corporations have prepared their contingency plans and KMC is also taking all the steps on its own, following the reports of the cyclone. “Officers and other staff should be called in three shifts in all the concerned departments. The KMC will play its part in the current situation in an efficient manner,” he added.
KARACHI:The tenth edition of Inter-School and Inter-College Games will be held from November 1-5 provided the Covid-19 pandemic abates.
The games couldn’t be held due to the pandemic that continues to haunt the world this year as well.
“Hoping that Covid-19 situation will improve to a satisfactory level during the next 5-6 months, we now plan to hold the said Games in November,” said Tania Mallick, who has been nominated as Organizing Secretary. She added that the letter has been sent to all expected participating teams so that they begin preparations.
LARKANA:Eight out of 41 suspected COVID-19 cases of Bhambho Khan Chandio village have so far been detected at the PCR Covid Lab of Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH) and the result of 33 cases is still being awaited.
This was stated by Dr Iqbal Jagirani, District Health Officer (DHO), Kambar-Shahdadkot, while talking to this scribe on Monday whereas other revenue sources claimed that 14 cases had been detected positive due to which the entire village had been sealed off for seven days effective today and the result of other cases is being awaited.
These sources further claimed that remaining samples might also be positive because the symptoms were almost the same among the suspected persons except two samples which were discarded.
Dr. Jagirani when asked as to how the pandemic spread in the village, he said it might be because of the burial of a positive woman who died in CMCH ICU in which her relatives and other villagers might have participated without observing social distancing and wearing face masks. He says people are not implementing SOPs hence the virus is spreading fast in such areas.
It must be mentioned here that the Deputy Commissioner, Kambar-Shahdadkot district, ordered on Sunday through a notification, sealing of Bhambho Khan Chandio village of Taluka Miro Khan on the recommendation of DHO after observing accelerated increase in positive cases of COVID-19 for seven days from 17th to 23rd May 2021 initially under section 3(3) of The Sindh Epidemic Diseases Act, 2014 in larger public interest and to prevent/slow down the spread of coronavirus.
The Senior Superintendent of Police, Kambar-Shahdadkot and Wing Commander, Shahbaz Rangers, Larkana, have been requested to restrict movement of persons in these areas, ensure adherence of public to SOPs issued by the Home Department and take action against delinquents found violating the notification for proceeding under section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code and other relevant provisions in this regard. Medical stores, small grocery stores and truly essential services have however been exempted from this notification. Copies of this notification were also sent to higher Sindh government authorities for information.
KARACHI:Provincial Minister for Local Government Syed Nasir Hussain Shah on Monday paid a surprise visit to storm-water drains of district Central to review arrangements about expected heavy rains and storm.
Deputy Commissioner and Administrator Dr Muhammad Bakhsh Dharejo, Municipal Commissioner Dr Syed Muhammad Ali Zaidi and other officials concerned were also present on this occasion. Shah said protection of lives and property of the citizen were the top most priority of Sindh government and underlined the need of coordinated efforts to deal expected rains and storm. He directed the officials to utilize all resources and manpower to provide relief to masses.
On this occasion, Deputy Commissioner and Administrator Dr Muhammad Bakhsh Dharejo and Municipal Commissioner Dr Syed Muhammad Ali Zaidi briefed the minister about rain emergency plan under which leaves of all municipal staff had cancelled. The officers had been directed to ensure presence of sanitary workers, staff of parks, building and road, mechanical and electrical and other department on duty during rain emergency.
The minister appreciated the arrangements made by District Central administration regarding rain and storm. It was pertinent to mention here that cleanliness of drains was underway across the district Central under the supervision of Administrator District Central Dr Muhammad Bakhsh Dharejo and Municipal Commissioner Dr Syed Muhammad Ali Zaidi.
KARACHI:On the directives of District Health Officer (DHO), Deputy Commissioner District Central Karachi has imposed discrete micro smart lockdown in streets and houses of specified areas in the district for two weeks (16 to 30 May 2021) under Sindh Epidemic Diseases Act 2014 (as amended in 2020).
According to a report on Monday, the micro smart lockdown has been imposed in union councils and houses of Gulberg (block 2, 3, 4,6,7,8,12,13,14 and others ), Liaquatabad (Gulbahar, Firdous Colony, Commercial area and others), North Nazimabad Town (Paposh Nagar, Block-A, B, C and others) and North Karachi Town (Sector 11-B, C, D, E, L and others).
In order to reduce the transmission and spread of COVID-19, besided mandatory mask wearing and social distancing interventions, it is also fundamental to ensure quarantine, contract tracing and testing being the strategy of the government for containment of COVID-19.
The following standard operating procedures (SOPs) will be enforced to this respect; anyone entering or existing the lockdown areas will wear a mask without any exception, movement of people residing in areas under lockdown will be strictly restricted, only grocery shops, convenience stores and pharmacies will be allowed to remain open in these areas during specific timing, all kinds of industrial units falling in these areas (streets) will remain closed and others.
All assistant commissioners are directed to provide logistic support in order to implement this lockdown in close coordination with health department and law enforcement agencies in above mentioned Union Councils. All the assistant commissioner will ensure proper lockdown plan in coordination with the respective deputy superintendent of police. Assistant commissioners will also ensure taking onboard administrator union councils, members of peace committees and renowned philanthropists of the locality.
UMERKOT:On the appeal of Primary Teachers Association (PTA), contract teachers took out a rally in the city on Monday against abolition of annual increment and allowances.
The teachers marched through roads from Syedpur Primary School to Press Club Umerkot, where they held a protest demonstration and chanted slogans for their rights.
Speaking on this occasion, the leaders said that the contract teachers appointed from the year 2001 to 2014 had started a series of protests and demonstrations against the government’s decision to revoke the annual increment and other allowances, but the government had still not paid any heed towards their genuine problems. They said that the series of injustices against teachers should be stopped now.
The rally was joined by teachers leaders Ibrahim Bajir, Ali Akbar Gajo, Maghan Mehr, Abdul Latif Kori and Chandan Malhi. Government School Teachers Association leaders Rafiq Kumbhar and Jamil Ahmed also joined the rally in solidarity with the teachers. The GSTA leaders, while talking to media, said that the government should do justice with the contracted teachers.
