KARACHI: Sindh Chief Secretary Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah presided over an important meeting on Thursday to review the implementation of smart lockdown, anti-locust operation, prices control and monsoon contingency plan.

The meeting also discussed the continued loadshedding across the province. Additional Chief Secretary Home Muhammad Usman Chachar, Secretary Health Kazim Jatoi, Secretaries of Rehabilitation, Public Health Engineering and Agriculture departments, divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners attended the meeting through video link.

The divisional commissioners briefed the meeting about smart lockdown in their respective divisions and stated that several shops were sealed and fines were imposed by SHOs over violating the SOPs. They further told that fines of Rs 6.1 million were imposed on traders selling commodities at exorbitant rates.

Chief secretary directed all the deputy commissioners to launch 'Wear a Mask' drive in their respective districts to bound the people for wearing the masks as preventive measure against Covid-19 spread. Taking notice of public complaints regarding milk price hike in Karachi, Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah directed the Commissioner Karachi to control the milk prices by taking action jointly with Sindh Food Authority.

In view of monsoon rains, the chief secretary directed the divisional commissioners to devise contingency plans and increase the dewatering pumps to avert flooding in low-lying areas. He also directed the officials of KE, HESCO and SEPCO to ensure uninterrupted power supply during the rains so that the rainwater could be drained out.

The chief secretary sought the report from all deputy commissioners regarding power load shedding in their districts, who informed that the prolonged loadshedding is order of the day and all the towns and villages remain without electricity for several hours.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020