By GR Junejo
Mithi: Owing to slackness of highway department, most of the roads in Tharparkar district are blocked, as the sand has covered them due to winds.
“It’s the responsibility of highway department to ensure that the roads are properly maintained and cleared of the sand so that the vehicular traffic continues undisturbed,” Deputy Commissioner Tharparkar Muhammad Nawaz Soho highlighted the issue in a meeting held by Sindh Minister for Culture and Tourism Sardar Shah here at DC Office Mithi on Friday.
Minister visited Mithi to review the arrangements made to cope with any rain emergency situation. MPA Qasim Siraj Soomro, MPA Fakir Sher Muhammad Bilalani, Veerji Kolhi, Dr. Manoj Malani, SSP Hassan Sardar Niazi, officials of various government departments and others attended the meeting.
Later, talking to media, Sardar Shah said that the government has devised rain emergency plan. “I will remain here to monitor the situation and will report to the government if any officer found absent from the field.”
Minister told that Executive Engineer of Highways didn’t attend meeting, and remarked that the roads covered with sand prove the inefficiency of officials.
Sardar Shah said that the tourist sports will be opened for tourists strictly observing the SOPs and added that they (provincial government) will protest in case any agency stoped the tourists from visiting Nagarparkar.
To a question, he said that government will compensate the people for losses caused by previous rains.
He further stated that the local people of Nagarparkar have the right over the water coming from the Karonjhar mountain and added that the dams damaged anywhere in the area would be repaired.
Sardar Shah said that most countries of the world have adopted safety measures against lightning and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority should take such measures in Thar to save human lives.
