Two more persons have tested positive for the deadly coronavirus in Sindh, taking the total number of the COVID-19 infections in the country to 18. According to Sindh Health Department, one of the infected persons reached Karachi from Syria via Doha while second patient, who is resident of Hyderabad, arrived in Karachi from Iran via Dubai. On Monday, Sindh Health Department confirmed nine new cases of coronavirus in Karachi
Information technology (IT) companies are shifting from Sindh to other provinces owing to high tax rates in the province. This was revealed by the Federal Secretary for the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui while he was briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication.
The government of Sindh has decided to close all private and government educational institutions till March 13 as a precautionary measure to protect students from coronavirus. The news was confirmed by provisional minister Sindh. According to a statement issued by the Sindh CM house, at least 738 people have arrived in Karachi from Iran and over 13,000 people are still at the Taftan border. Their families will also be screened by the health authorities.
CNG stations across Sindh will reopen Tuesday at 10pm and will supply gas till 6am on Wednesday. According to a representative of the Sui Southern Gas Company a gas shortage has been reported in the fields too and due to low gas pressure there are difficulties in supply to domestic consumers. Sindh will get gas after 50 hours this time.
Sindh provincial cabinet has decided to bring back sales tax on cellular services in its recent meeting. The customers will have to pay sales tax on easy load and scratch cards. The government was restricted from collecting sales tax on cellular services previously and suffered a loss of Rs. 10 billion due to this ruling. Now, the verdict does not restrict the authorities so the government has decided to bring it back to increase revenues.
Temperature is expected to hit as low as 13 degrees Celsius on Saturday in Karachi and Sindh as cold wave hits the province. According to Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) temperature drastically dropped eight degrees to 15 degrees Celsius in the city on Friday. The recent drop in temperature has broken previous record of average minimum temperature recorded in Karachi in November, which is 16 degrees Celsius.
Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) Chairperson Mustafa Kamal has been suspended within 24 hours as focal person for sanitation and cleanliness in Karachi. Mayor Karachi Wasim Akhtar had issued a notification on Monday designating Kamal as ‘Project Director Garbage’ on a voluntary basis. However, the mayor held a press conference on Tuesday afternoon to announce that he was suspending Kamal for “acting beyond jurisdiction and authority”.
Death toll from rain related incidents has reached six, as monsoon rain wrecks havoc Karachi, drowning sacrificial animals and people alike in misery. Roads across the city are flooded with rainwater, while electricity supply is suspended in certain areas. A rescue operation conducted by the Rangers is currently underway as the megalopolis experienced heavy monsoon showers for a second consecutive day.
Internet and broadband services prices are about to reach a new high in Sindh, after the provincial government has decided to slap sales tax on the services. Effective from July 1, the exemption of sales tax has been withdrawn and all internet and broadband customers, irrespective of their speed or charges, will pay sales tax at the statutory rate of 19.5%.
PTI’s local leader from Ghotki, Mir Iftikhar Ahmed Lund, has been appointed as the focal person for Human Rights in Sindh. In April, Iftikhar was booked for brutally torturing his driver, Allah Rakhio, with a steel rod after the drivers disagreement with Iftikhar’s cousins. Rakhio received eight stitches after a metal rod was forcefully inserted in his rectum.