The battle continues : KMC deploys 50 wardens at parking sites

The rift between KDA and KMC started with the division of various properties between the two institutions

KARACHI: The ongoing battle over collection of charged parking fees between the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) took an ugly turn on Thursday when the latter issued an order for deployment of city wardens at all the parking sites of the KMC.

In a letter issued by the KMC's human resource management director, Jamil Farooqui, to the KMC city wardens director, 50 city wardens have been asked to be deployed at different charged parking sites. According to the letter, Karachi Deputy Mayor Arshad Vohra has approved the deployment of 50 city wardens to tackle the law and order situation and to check interference from KDA in the collection of the parking fee. These deployment orders for city wardens came after the KDA had restrained KMC from collecting parking fees within its jurisdiction. The civic bodies have been at loggerheads since the KDA was revived by the Sindh government in June.

The rift between the two civic bodies started with the division and possession of various properties between the two institutions. Earlier, staffers of the recently revived KDA started taking over the Civic Centre building, which was originally the head office of the KDA before the authority was merged with the KMC under the city district government system. The KMC's municipal commissioner, Badar Jamil, told The Express Tribune that deployment of city wardens at legitimate parking cites became inevitable. He said that the KDA has started grabbing their charged parking sites illegally. "They [KDA] think they can do anything by force," he said, adding that recently their officers at the Civic Centre were manhandled by the KDA's staff and now it has become immensely difficult for them to carry out their duties. As a last option, he said, they could go to the court against the KDA.  Meanwhile, the KDA's senior official said that deployment of city wardens at charged parking sites makes no sense. He asked if the KMC's purpose of such activity is clash.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2016.