Sindh not against Diamer-Bhasha Dam: Murad

KARACHI: Sindh’s chief minister said on Saturday that his provincial government is not against the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam because it believes that the countrywide issue of water storage should be resolved.

CM Syed Murad Ali Shah made the statement while talking to the media after he inaugurated the first-ever Centre of Autism Rehabilitation & Training (C-Art) that has been established in Gulistan-e-Jauhar.

Shah was accompanied by Planning & Development Chairman Mohammad Waseem, Principal Secretary to CM Sohail Rajput, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Secretary Abbas Baloch, C-Art’s Prof Dr Nabila Soomro and others.

The chief executive said his provincial administration has no objection to the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam because there is a need for storage of water, but “we have to first ascertain how much water is already available in our system”.

Responding to a question, the CM admitted that street crime has indeed increased in Karachi and that the state of affairs has attracted widespread censure.

“Actually, this problem worsened during the caretaker government’s rule and now we are curbing it. Together with the new Sindh police chief, we would formulate a vigorous strategy to eliminate street crime and make the overall situation of law and order sustainable.”

Shah said implementation of the National Action Plan is under way and the targeted operation launched in the city has produced the desirable results and now “we are going to divert [the action] towards street criminals, the drug mafia and land grabbers”.

In response to another query, he said the disadvantaged are being provided houses under the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Housing Cell project. “This programme has been going on for the past many years, as a large number of homeless people have been given houses through the scheme.”

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of C-Art, the chief executive said that to him autism or any other disability is not a disease, but a problem that the parents and society need to understand in order to handle it lovingly, medically and carefully. “We are responsible for supporting our children who are differently abled.”

Shah said that while it is difficult to set up institutions like this, the main problem is finding dedicated and devoted professionals to run them and make them perform like genuine institutions.

“Today we have established C-Art, and we have found some dedicated persons like Dr Nabila Soomro and others to make this institution one of the best in South Asia,” he said, proudly adding that it is already the biggest such institution in the public sector in South Asia.

He pointed out that through different presentations he had found out that more people related to administration were working at C-Art than trainers or experts.

“We have to increase the strength of trainers and teaching staff to make it a professional institution,” he said, adding that he is willing to provide all the required funds, but “I want to see results and genuine rehabilitation”.

The CM urged the C-Art’s administration to establish its satellite centres in other parts of the province. “There is a dire need of such rehabilitation and training centres all over Sindh.”

Citing the example of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, he said the institution has some eight satellite centres in different districts of the province.

Shah said C-Art would cater to the needs of the children whose parents could not afford the fees of private institutions, adding that he is working hard for the education and training of every segment of society. “We are also improving our schools as well as working for special children.”

In the financial year 2016-17, the chief executive had allocated Rs71.7 million to establish a Centre of Autism Rehabilitation & Training Sindh in a three-storey building with 38 rooms over an area of three acres in Gulistan-e-Jauhar.

The centre has the capacity to enrol 300 children in a single session. It has been completed and is ready to facilitate autistic children. The CM had earlier unveiled the plaque to inaugurate the centre. On his arrival, children had sung a song to welcome him.