Indus Vitals

Meeting urges coordinated, multi-sectoral effort and stronger government backing for dog population control across Sindh IV Report KARACHI: Amid a reported surge in dog bite incidents — particularly affecting children and women across Sindh — stakeholders at a meeting held under the banner of the Indus Hospital & Health Network (IHHN) on March 30 finalised a draft for a comprehensive, long-term dog population management programme, calling for strong political will to implement what they described as a “scientific roadmap” to curb rabies and related risks. The meeting, held at The Indus Hospital, brought together 35 participants representing a wide spectrum of sectors, including veterinary experts, animal welfare activists, legal professionals, government departments, educationists, religious scholars and concerned citizens. Representatives from the Department of Livestock and Fisheries, cantonment authorities, and media and training institutions were also in attendance. Mi...

A preventable tragedy underscores how weak enforcement, fragmented accountability and routine neglect have turned Karachi’s fire safety laws into paper promises — with deadly consequences. Top of Form The devastating blaze at Gul Plaza on MA Jinnah Road — which reportedly claimed more than 70 lives and gutted a commercial complex housing over 1,200 shops — has once again exposed a grim reality of urban governance in Karachi. Fire safety regulations may exist in policy documents and building codes, but for much of the city they remain little more than words on paper. Each major fire in Karachi tends to follow a familiar cycle: shock, grief, public anger, promises of inquiries, and eventually a slow return to normality. What rarely follows is sustained reform. The tragedy at Gul Plaza, however, should compel authorities and stakeholders to confront a difficult truth: Karachi’s fire safety crisis is not the result of missing laws, but of weak enforcement and fragmented accountab...

CM seeks swift verification as compensation crosses 900 beneficiaries IV Report KARACHI: Sindh government in addition to providing financial compensations to victim shopkeepers of the tragic huge fire incident at Gul Plaza, Karachi, or their families, is preparing rebuilding the blaze-gutted commercial complex housing over 1200 small or big shops, it emerged on April 1. The development came as Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah chaired a high-level meeting at the CM House to review the pace of compensation disbursement and outline steps for reconstruction of the market, which was devastated by a massive fire on January 19. Officials briefed the meeting that the provincial government had earmarked Rs850 million for families of those who lost their lives in the incident, fixing compensation at Rs10 million per deceased. Out of 72 reported fatalities, cheques have so far been delivered to 61 families at their residences by provincial ministers, while the remaining cases are at var...