KARACHI: In a rare show of unity, both opposition and ruling parties in City Council on Friday agreed that the elected representatives of local government must be aware of working mechanism of municipal institutions and operations of utilities and most importantly they should have complete information regarding the plan of spending of billions of rupees being borrowed from the World Bank.

The fresh consensus emerged during a meeting of leaders of parliamentary parties in the City Council which was called by Jamaat-i-Islami member and Leader of the Opposition in the house Advocate Saifuddin to discuss performance and mechanism of these institutions which are mandated for key municipal jobs.

Those who attended the meeting included Najmi Alam of Pakistan Peoples Party, Mubashir Hafizul Haq of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Muhammad Feroze of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

The leaders agreed that despite being elected representatives of Karachi and leaders of their respective parties in the City Council, they were still not aware of mechanism of key institutions like the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) and the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB).

PPP’s Najmi Alam says he has assured JI, PTI members of taking up the issue with mayor

“Secondly, the government is borrowing huge amount from the World Bank for these institutions, but we aren’t aware of any details which define such huge spending in the name of development,” said Advocate Saifuddin.

“For instance for the KWSC, the World Bank is funding US $1.5 billion but we don’t know that what’s the plan with such huge amount of money? How would it improve Karachi water supply and sewage system? Where all this money would be spent? The house of elected local government members must know about it.”

Similarly, the meeting participants also agreed that for effective performance and relief to Karachiites, the operational mechanism of the KWSC and the SSWMB should be expanded to union council level as both institutions have so far failed to deliver the required level of performance.

Mr Alam of PPP while speaking to Dawn confirmed the development and said that the discussion was aimed at better coordination among parliamentary parties which would ultimately benefit Karachiites.

“The participants of the meeting shared their thoughts and suggestions,” he said.

“The meeting agreed that being elected members of the local government and representatives of the people, they should be aware of details of development projects and their plans. I have assured the meeting participants that I will take it up with the mayor and other authorities and meetings of the parliamentary leaders would be arranged on all these subjects.”

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2024