Karachi, January 10, 2018 (PPI-OT):Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that the safety of citizens and preservation of the environment depend primarily on the continuous maintenance of both public and private the vehicles, this is why the provincial government in partnership of private sector is going to establish a state-of-art Vehicle Inspection and Certification System (VICS) in the city.
This he said while addressing the ground breaking ceremony of first VICS Center at SITE area this morning. He was accompanied by Minister for Transport and Information Syed Nasir Shah. He said that fitness is a very crucial component of road safety regime. Therefore, an effectively implemented and enforced VICS programme would play a vital role in ensuring safety of citizens and preservation of the environment.
Murad Ali Shah said that the presence of unfit vehicles on roads is not only causing environmental pollution but also contributes to road accident. This is the reason the provincial government has taken a long awaited imitative to establish first Vehicle Inspection and Certification System (VICS) Center at SITE.
The Transport and Mass Transit Department (TMT) had signed a Concession agreement with OPUS, a consortium, in July 2017. Under the VICS a state of art vehicle inspection and certification complying with international standards and specification would be established. The unfit vehicles would be made off the road.
Murad Ali Shah said that in the first phase the VICS center is being established in the city and in the second there would be separate centers in every divisional headquarter. The chief minister said that he had held a meeting with the office bearers of SITE Association and told them to construct the infrastructure of the SITE area. The schemes identified would cost Rs9 billion against which he has released Rs1 billion during current financial year. “I am sure SITE association is quite capable and they would construct roads in a better way,” he said. He said that the three year old vehicle, commercial or provide would have to have to obtain fitness certificate through verification.
TALKS TO MEDIA:
Talking to the media, the chief minister said that the mechanical sweeping and washing of roads, and lifting of garbage in different parts of the city has been started successfully. He urged the media to appreciate it and take up the issues of cleanliness where still exists. He said that the sweeping and cleanliness work of DMC West has been given to Sindh Solid Waste Management Board and very soon mechanical sweeping and lifting of garbage would be started there.
Replying to a question, he said that he has released KMC budget and have given them extra funds where they are required. “We have strengthened it [the KMC] financially and I am sure they would also improve their performance,” he said. He deplored that last Sunday he had visited the city and saw the shopkeeper had thrown out their trash on the road instead of putting it into the dustbin the Solid Waste Management Board has placed there.
STREET CRIME:
Replying to a question, the chief minister said that he has already focused on curbing street crime in the city. The city of Karachi after experiencing terrorism, target killing and bhatta khori has turned peaceful to such an extent that no terrorist incident took place in the city during 2017. “Now, we are making this city more peaceful by launching targeted operation against the street criminals,” he said.
The chief minister said that he has held a number of meeting on street crime and now things are improving. “Karachi is a megalopolis city and some incidents of street crime is not a big issue in terms of its population,” he said and added he was not justifying it but putting it on the record that the countries with a big size of population always face such situations.
He said that in the past there used to be shutter down strikes. Passenger buses were set on fire, roads were blocked but now such things have become history. This is the success of people of Karachi who rejected them and supported the government to eliminate the outlaws. “Our law enforcement agencies have bravely crushed them,” he said. On the occasion Minister for Transport and Information Nasir Shah also spoke and briefed about the features of the VICS and its benefit for the road safety and preservation of environment.
MEETS WITH SITE ASOCIATION
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had a meeting with the office-bearers of SITE Association at their office at SITE. He listened to their problems and made some announcements. The chief minister directed commissioner Karachi to start e-stamping in SITE area. It is a digital age and therefore manual system should be replaced with digital one. The chief minister also directed DIG West to strengthen the command and control center facility of the SITE association by giving then some more staff.
The chief minister talking about Combined Effluent Plant SITE said that it was a Rs12 billion project but federal government was reluctant to finance it. “We, the provincial government, is giving 50 percent funds and there is our commitment with you [SITE] to provide all the facilities,” he said. He said that around 80 percent industries of the country are located in Karachi but the federal government is reluctant to contribute in the development of infrastructure and effluent plants and such other schemes of industrial areas which is an injustice. The chief minister on the request of the SITE association assured them to support them in construction of convention center.
For more information, contact:
Press Secretary,
Chief Minister House, Sindh
Tel: +92-21-99202019 (Ext: 336)
Website: www.cmsindh.gov.pk