KARACHI: The Sindh government has announced that anyone caught burning garbage on the streets of Karachi will face jail, with FIRs to be registered and arrests made.
According to media reports, the decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah. Officials agreed to lodge FIRs against anyone found burning waste in the city.
Authorities said Karachi generates more than 14,000 tonnes of garbage daily. District Central alone produces around 3,000 tonnes every day.
Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) Managing Director Tariq Ali Nizamani said the issue was raised by town chairmen during a meeting held two days earlier under the local government minister.
He said Nasir Hussain Shah directed that FIRs be registered and arrests made wherever garbage burning incidents are reported.
Nizamani added that Section 144 has been enforced through the commissioner’s office and action is ongoing to curb such practices. He said some people burn garbage due to a lack of awareness about environmental pollution.
He said district municipal corporations earlier handled the issue when there were more than 3,000 garbage collection points in the city. He added that authorities have so far prevented more than 2,500 such incidents.
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Earlier, a separate meeting chaired by Karachi Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi at the commissioner’s office decided to continue uninterrupted operations against encroachments and illegal sit-ins on footpaths, roads, and service lanes across the city.
