The Sindh government has announced that FIRs will be registered against individuals involved in burning trash on Karachi roads.
According to details, the decision to register criminal cases against those burning trash was taken during a meeting of the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB).
The meeting was chaired by Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah and attended by Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, the Secretary of Local Government, SSWMB Managing Director Tariq Ali Nizamani, town chairmen, and other officials.
Mayor Murtaza Wahab said that garbage burning is mostly carried out by private waste collectors, who either set it on fire or dump it into drains.
He said that financial penalties should also be imposed for such illegal practices, as they cause severe environmental damage and badly affect the drainage system.
According to a statement issued after the meeting, the SSWMB managing director briefed participants, following which it was decided that FIRs would be registered against individuals involved in garbage burning, regardless of their institutional affiliation.
Addressing the meeting, the local government minister said that contracted companies must have adequate manpower and machinery, and that tracker-equipped vehicles should operate round the clock.
He directed the SSWMB to strengthen coordination with union councils and towns.
As per data, Karachi produces more than 14,800 tons of solid and municipal waste daily. However, data shows that only 10,000 to 12,000 tons of garbage reach landfill sites each day.
