Day: May 20, 2022

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NFEH concerned over hacking of hundreds of Karachi

ISLAMABAD: The National Forum for Environment and Health (NFEH) has expressed serious concern that hundreds of fully grown trees have been chopped in Karachi even before formal groundbreaking to start the work to build the Red Line section of the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) in the city.

In a statement on Friday, NFEH President Naeem Qureshi said that cutting down hundreds of trees at the very beginning of the groundwork to build the Red Line corridor of BRTS was simply a merciless act aimed at further harming the Karachi’s environment.

He said the irony was that hundreds of fully grown trees had been mercilessly cut down on the Super Highway Link Road in the midst of the summer season when scorching heat had created unbearable living conditions in a number of affected areas in the country.

Qureshi said that a large number of trees had been cut into pieces in a span of a few hours showing that the planners behind the Red Line corridor of BRTS had no regard for safeguarding the Karachi’s environment that had already been under tremendous stress.

He said that such inhumane chopping of shade trees shouldn’t be part of a BRTS project, which was foreign-funded as the international donors behind such mass transit projects had always given the due consideration that their construction activity shouldn’t harm the environment in any manner.

He recalled that the Red Line bus service was going to be Pakistan’s first mass transit project, which would use the environment-friendly fuel in the form of biogas. The NFEH President said that planners of the BRTS projects should do their best to ensure that the construction of the bus corridors should save trees as much as possible along the designated routes.

He said that Karachi earlier had lost thousands of trees due to the execution of different mega development projects including the Green Line bus service, the reconstruction of University Road and Tariq Road. Qureshi urged the Sindh government to come up with a firm mitigation plan to plant new saplings in Karachi in the place of the chopped trees.

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Administrator Karachi visits patients at KIKD

KARACHI: Administrator Karachi, Sindh Government’s Spokesman and CM Advisor on Law Barrister Murtaza Wahab on Friday said that Karachi Institute of Kidney Disease (KIKD) is a ray of hope for patients suffering from kidney diseases.

When the private sector and the government work together, much better results are achieved. The Karachi Institute of Kidney Diseases is a shining example of public-private partnership,” the Administrator said this during a visit to the Karachi Institute of Kidney Diseases here.

Metropolitan Commissioner Syed Afzal Zaidi, Deputy Commissioner Central Taha Saleem, Deputy Secretary Information Pakistan Peoples Party Karachi Division Shakeel Chaudhry, Executive Director KIKD Dr. Khurram Danial, President Karachi Institute of Kidney Diseases Hospital Association President Masood Nawab, General Secretary Ajmal Kamil and other officers were also present on the occasion.

Wahab met the patients admitted in the hospital and got information about the facilities provided to them. He was informed that more than 160 patients undergo dialysis in the institute daily and more than 200 patients visit OPD daily for diagnosis and treatment of kidney disease.

With the completion of another floor of the hospital in the next six months, more facilities will be available for the people suffering from kidney diseases. A state-of-the-art lithotripsy machine has been installed to remove kidney stones, while work is underway to facilitate kidney transplants in the future and it is expected that more dialysis machines will be installed by November this year.

The Administrator was told that the institution will become a center for the treatment of kidney diseases. Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that those who are working here honorably will be rewarded by Allah Almighty for this service to the people.

“It is gratifying that people from the private sector are reaching out to the government for help in the health sector and thanks to this mutual partnership, many medical institutions are getting better and better day by day,” he added.

The Administrator Karachi also inspected the ICU, Laboratory and Ultrasound Clinic besides the Urology and Lithopsy departments of the hospital and said that the health sector needs a major overhaul for which a strategy has to be adopted in the light of latest research.

“No organization can operate on the basis of building alone but the performance of machinery and personnel is important to make it functional and successful,” the Administrator said. He was of the view that better planning and implementation is the key to success. He said that it was a matter of great pleasure that the institution was providing services to the patients suffering from kidney diseases round the clock.

Wahab said that apart from Karachi, patients from interior parts Sindh and Balochistan are getting treatment for dialysis and kidney diseases. The Administrator Karachi said that along with treatment, we should also take steps to protect against kidney disease as the number of kidney patients is increasing day by day.

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Union rallies against ‘corruption’ by Larkana officer

LARKANA: On the call of Upper Sindh Rice Factories Workers Union (CBA), a large number of labourers took out a rally and then held a protest demonstration at Jinnah Bagh Friday against corruption in Sindh Workers Welfare Board, Larkana office.

They were holding large banners and red flags in their hands and shouting slogans in favour of their just demands. The protesters, including Murtaza Korai, Mashooque Korai, Hajan Shaikh, Ihsan Jagirani, Ali Sher Brohi and Ali Gohar, said that Shaheed Benazir Bhutto laid down the foundation stone of a labour colony on Jail Road during her government and now 96 flats were ready to be allotted and handed over to the labourers.

They alleged that Zahid Hakro, Deputy Director, Sindh Workers Welfare Board, Larkana, was demanding Rs250,000 from each labourer as illegal gratification for allotting and handing over the flats and he already had handed over several flats to his near and dear ones against corruption payment which is an open and daring robbery on their rights, they added.

They said that during the current era of unprecedented inflation, they were even unable to feed their family members. Then how can we afford to pay him so much?

They urged PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to take notice of the corruption of Hakro and allot and hand over them the flats immediately.

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Man killed, his friend injured in armed attack in Larkana

LARKANA: A young man was gunned down and his friend injured by armed bikers near Kehar Railway Crossing within the limits of Mahotta police station near here on Friday.

According to a report, the armed men opened fire on Majid, son of Ali Bux Mirbahar and his friend Kamran Agani over an alleged Karo-Kari issue. As a result, Majid died while Kamran sustained injuries near Mahota. Both were shifted to the Chandka Medical College Hospital.

The father of the deceased told newsmen that they had a Karo-Kari dispute with their own relatives due to which accused Shahnawaz Mirbahar, Afroze Mirbahar and others killed his son Majid, injured his friend Kamran Agani and escaped. He urged the SSP and DIGP Larkana to arrest the accused, order a thorough investigation and dispense justice. Mirbahar was a resident of Wada Mahar village. The police have started a probe into the issue.

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Man found dead in Shikarpur

SHIKARPUR: A man was found dead from the house situated at Gul Shah Peer locality within the limit of Stuart Gunj police station here on Friday.

According to a report, the two-day old body of Shahid Ali Lakho, aged 35, bearing torture marks, was recovered from the home. He was shifted to RBUT Civil Hospital Shikarpur for medico-legal formalities. The cause behind the murder could not ascertained till filing of this story, area police added.

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Man killed over money dispute

KASUR: A man was killed over a monetary dispute here within the limits of Saddar Pattoki police station on Friday.

Police said that Riaz Malik, resident of Chak Gahlan Nokey, had old money dispute with Abdul Rahim. On the day of incident, Abdul Rahim along with his accomplices Abdul Kareem, Muhammad Saleem and others, had an altercation over the issue. In a fit of rage, they attacked Riaz with batons and hit him to death. On getting information police reached the spot and shifted the body to THQ hospital. Further investigation was underway.

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LHC moved against Hamza’s appointment as CM

LAHORE: Speaker Punjab Assembly Pervaiz Elahi on Friday challenged Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hamza Shahbaz’s appointment as the Chief Minister of Punjab in Lahore High Court (LHC).

LHC has directed Hamza Shahbaz and other parties to submit their reply in the court. In the remarks, the Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti directed to inform the court about the implementation of the Supreme Court’s decision regarding the dissident Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members.

Court has adjourned the hearing till May 25.

Earlier on Thursday, a petition had been filed in LHC to remove Hamza Shahbaz as CM Punjab. The petition states that Supreme Court of Pakistan has announced its verdict on dissident members votes and now Hamza Shahbaz has lost majority in Punjab Assembly.

The plea further states that Hamza has no legal and constitutional right to stay CM Punjab and all his action in the capacity are illegal and unconstitutional. The plaintiff prayed the court to nullify notification of Hamza s appointment as CM and bar him from performing duties.