KARACHI: In a thinly veiled criticism directed at the Pakistan Peoples Party government in Sindh for ‘intentionally neglecting’ municipal bodies in the country’s commercial capital, senior figures of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf said on Sunday that the federal government was working beyond its constitutional responsibility since it understood the importance of Karachi in national development.

The criticism came from federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and Maritime Affairs Minister Ali Zaidi at a programme held to hand over recently imported fire tenders to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and other organisations.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Umar said it was highly regrettable that the municipal corporation of a city like Karachi, which contributed more than 40 per cent taxes to the exchequer and over 90pc taxes to Sindh, did not have fire tenders and not even money to arrange diesel to run the fire tenders.

He said that when the federal government decided to work with the Sindh government on the Rs1.1 trillion Karachi Transformation Package, it had asked the latter to return the civic bodies like water and sewerage board and building control authority that it had “provincialised” to Karachi. However, the Sindh government had so far not implemented it, he regretted.

Addressing the maritime affairs minister who was in the audience, Mr Umar said he often thought what would be the fate of these civic organisations, if returned to KMC, as the civic agency didn’t have money to even pay salaries and arrange fuel for fire tenders.

Sindh governor hands over 50 fire tenders to KMC, other organisations

He said there was a need to own Karachi and whoever was responsible, whether the Sindh government or the Centre, must fulfil his responsibility towards this city. “Karachi is not an ordinary city...it is the city which provides resources to Pakistan. It has not been given its rights so the federal government is fulfilling its moral responsibility by trying to address legitimate grievances of Karachi, although it is the constitutional responsibility of the province,” he said.

He said Prime Minister Imran Khan was himself monitoring the situation as he wanted to come up to the expectations of the people of Karachi.

Talking about different federal-funded development projects, he said a consultant had been appointed for the revival of Karachi Circular Railway while the prototype for a bus for the Green Line bus rapid transit project would be completed by March and delivery of the buses would begin from June. He expressed the hope that Green Line would start functioning by July-August.

About the much-delayed K-IV water supply project, Mr Umar said the federal government was told that the project would be completed by October 2023. “This timeline is not acceptable for us. A meeting has been called for finalising a revised schedule,” he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Governor Ismail also regretted that the Sindh government had taken over important functions of the local government. In a veiled reference to the toothless local government system in Sindh, he said the mayor of the city lacked powers, resources and funds. He also expressed concern over the situation of garbage collection in Karachi.

He said the fire tenders were a gift from the prime minister and these were equipped with latest technology, which could work more efficiently and effectively to put out fires. He said the new fire tenders would make the fire brigade department more efficient.

Maritime Affairs Minister Ali Zaidi, former Karachi mayor Wasim Akhtar of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and Karachi Administrator Laiq Ahmed also spoke.

The Sindh governor handed over 24 fire tenders to the KMC and 26 to different bodies, organisations and NGOs, including the Export Processing Zone Authority, Bin Qasim Industry Park, Saylani Welfare Trust and Pakistan Rangers.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2021