All other directors have a uniform age limit of between 28 and 40 years
KARACHI: Possessing zeal for architecture and urban designing, I have been a keen observer of Karachi mass transit schemes over the years. Several schemes were launched and discarded at the establishment’s whims over the decades because of an inconsistent policy framework. In fact, Karachi holds a dubious record among cities of this size for having no mass transit.
We have seen the Karachi Circular Railway(KCR), tramways, and others die a quiet death with nothing to replace them. Naturally, traffic problems in the metropolis have multiplied and become unmanageable. The response to the traffic problems from the government is a knee-jerk reaction. With various metro routes planned, the government is touting the scheme as the panacea for Karachi’s traffic problems. This is a classic example of putting the cart before the horse. Instead of revival and expansion of KCR, which could serve a vast number of Karachiites, they are laying metro lines a la Punjab. The Japan International Cooperation Agency has expressed its full support to a KCR revival at attractive terms and conditions but it seems the bureaucracy is bent upon ensuring that KCR stays moribund.
The shenanigans go on while there is no Karachi Mass Transit Authority, the bill for which has already been approved in the Sindh Assembly. It seems a chosen few will benefit at the public’s expense. One example: there was an advertisement from the Sindh Transport and Mass Transit Department to fill various posts. A cursory glance confirms that the posts have already been filled and this is only an exercise in public relations to satisfy the rules and regulations.
Is it normal to have the age limit for a director general at 42-62 years, while the age limit of one director is 40-55 years? All other directors have a uniform age limit of between 28 and 40 years. Where is merit and transparency? One had hoped that with the induction of a popular and energetic chief minister, and a new transport minister, the bureaucracy would amend its ways.
Syed Arshian Ahmed
Published in The Express Tribune, October 12th, 2016.
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