The provincial cabinet, chaired by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, has made several significant decisions regarding cultural, environmental, infrastructural, and health projects. Key highlights of the meeting include:
Protection of Karoonjhar and Granite Mining
- Karoonjhar Protection: The entire Karoonjhar region is designated as a cultural and heritage site, forest, and wildlife sanctuary/Ramsar Site.
- Granite Mining: The Khasar area, located 25 km from Nagarparkar, has been approved for granite mining, pending clearance from the Forest & Wildlife Department. This decision follows a Supreme Court order to balance mining interests with wildlife, forest, environment, and heritage protection.
Health and Medical Initiatives
- Grant for PAF: A Rs3.84 billion grant-in-aid was approved for the Patients’ Aid Foundation (PAF) to procure medical equipment for a new medical complex at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Karachi.
- SMBBMC Lyari: Permission was granted to hire 166 teaching faculty and staff on a contract basis to avoid de-recognition of the Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical College (SMBBMC) Lyari.
Infrastructure and Housing
- Construction of Two Bridges: Approval for Rs2.31 billion was given for the construction of new bridges at Aral Wah and Sherbazi to enhance floodwater passage from Manchar Lake to the Indus River.
- Flood-Affected Housing: Training for 20,000 masons to build climate-resilient houses and financial support for 111,000 persons with disabilities (PWD) who lost homes in recent floods. PWDs will receive an additional Rs50,000 for house construction, and residents on government land near flood-affected areas will receive land titles.
Education and Development
- IBA Ghotki Campus: A Rs450 million grant was approved for establishing the Ghotki campus of Sukkur IBA University.
- Master Plan of Rani Bagh Hyderabad: The cabinet approved the rehabilitation project of Rani Bagh under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode.
Regulatory and Governance Reforms
- Swift Registration of Vehicles: Amendments to the Provincial Motor Vehicle Ordinance (PMVO) 1965 to ensure swift registration and prevent misuse of unregistered vehicles. Key features include mandatory registration before vehicles hit the road and accountability for dealers and showroom owners.
- Sindh Medicolegal Advisory Board: Establishment of a seven-member board to regulate the medicolegal system in Sindh.
- Infant & Young Child Nutrition Board: Formation of a 23-member board to protect and promote breastfeeding and child nutrition.
Other Approvals
- Export of Sugar: Allocation of 45,000 metric tons for sugar export from Sindh, equally distributed among 31 operational sugar mills.
- Contract Extensions and Appointments: Extensions for CEO Sindh Transmission and Dispatch Company, Mr. Saleem Shaikh, and appointments of Anwar Ahmad Pathan to the Pakistan Tobacco Board and Ali Hassan Rajpar as Labour Welfare Commissioner.
