Masses, business community lost billions due to rains: PBIF chief

KARACHI: President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum and All Karachi Industrial Alliance and former provincial minister Mian Zahid Hussain Friday said rains in Karachi have exposed federal and provincial governments and the city administration.

Masses and the business community have lost billions due to the rains and inefficiency of concerned authorities.

Mian Zahid said that the government should declare city as calamity-hit, announce tax breaks, interest-free loans and a package for Karachi to push life back to normal and save businessmen from bankruptcy.

Talking to the business community, the veteran business leader said that rainwater has entered homes, offices, and industries due to a broken sanitation and disposal system. The water has damaged building material, stored food items and exportable things worth billions of rupees.

He noted electricity, gas, and water is disconnected, the water board is not working, drains are blocked, the industry has been closed while exports and imports have been discontinued.

Federal provincial and city departments are more interested in shifting blame than resolving issues while blaming record spells over the last 90 years. The Karachi is suffering from governance crisis since many decades and authorities prefer fire fighting over long-term and sustainable solutions which amounts to damaging the national economy.

The infrastructure has deteriorated to an extent that it cannot withstand routine rains paralyzing the whole city. The provincial government has cancelled leaves after 40 deaths during rains which is useless and they officials will not be able to come to the office as most of the city has submerged and all the roads have become rivers.

He said that PTI, PPP, and MQM should unite to end the culture of corruption and improve infrastructure otherwise the city will continue to suffer. Karachi cannot be left on the mercy of climate and masses are not ready to listen to lame excuses of concerned officials, he said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020