Split aftermath: Tug of war between KDA, KMC intensifies
Latest feud ensues on bungalow at COD, which is in KMC’s use as its camp office
Latest feud ensues on bungalow at COD, which is in KMC’s use as its camp office. PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
After the split between the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) and the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), the ongoing tug of war for possession of various properties between the two institutions has intensified as the latter is being forced to vacate most of its offices.
The staffers of the recently revived KDA are 'slowly and gradually taking over' Civic Centre, which was originally the head office of the KDA before it was merged with the KMC in the new local bodies systems of the City District Government Karachi (CDGK), was introduced and implemented during General (retd) Pervez Musharraf's government over 15 years ago.
In a recent move, the KDA has asked KMC, through a series of letters, to immediately hand over the bungalow at the Central Ordinance Depot (COD) - known as the KMC's camp office - to the KDA. However, the KMC has refused to do so. After the KDA's revival, KMC officers have already been asked by KDA director-general Syed Nasir Abbas to vacate the Civic Centre building.
The process of takeover started in the mid of June when Abbas - who was the senior director of KDA wing - was given the additional charge of the KDA director-general by the Sindh government and he started sitting in the office in which the KMC administrator used to sit.
When the then administrator of the KMC, Laeeq Ahmed, came to know that his office has been occupied by KDA director-general Nasir Abbas, he quietly shifted to the administrator's camp office located behind the National Stadium.
War of letters
Now that the elected mayor is in place, the KDA has also claimed possession of the camp office. According to the first letter written by Abbas regarding the matter on October 3, when the KDA was separated with its water wing and Karachi Water and Sewage Board (KWB) was formed, the KDA retained few residential premises from the water board, among which were the VVIP Rest House and the bungalow at the COD Hills.
"During the martial law regime, the VVIP Rest House at COD Hills remained in use of the Deputy Martial Law Administrator (DMLA), Karachi, thereafter, it was taken over by the Government of Sindh and now it is officially allocated to the Director General, Pakistan Rangers, Sindh," the letter read. It further explained that on creation of the CDGK, the bungalow presently in use of the KWSB managing director was allotted to the then City Nazim of Karachi but later, due to security reasons, was exchanged with the bungalow presently being used as KMC's camp office.
"On the revival of the KDA, a request was made to the administrator [of] KMC, Laeeq Ahmed, to kindly handover the physical possession of the Bungalow (Camp Office) to the KDA," read the letter. The administrator, according to the letter, verbally promised to hand over the possession of the camp office to the KDA but couldn't maintain his commitments and handed over the possession to the municipal commissioner of KMC, Badar Jamil.
"In such a situation, it is requested to hand over the physical possession of the bungalow to KDA immediately to avoid any legal complication, please," the letter ended on this note.
In a response to this, Jamil wrote back on October 4 that the matter was discussed with Local Government Minister Jam Khan Shoro by the deputy mayor, Arshad Vohra, and Shoro has allowed Vohra "to use the accommodation as camp office till further notice in the larger interest of smooth functioning of KMC."
On October 5, KDA again hit back through a letter. "It is requested to note that the name of [the] minister as quoted in your letter is totally unfounded as no instructions have been passed on to the undersigned so far," said the letter.
The letter further added that since the matter is official between the two civic bodies, it should be dealt at officers' level without involving elected representatives. "It is pointed out that some officers of KMC are playing mischievous role and creating problem for the superior hierarchy of KMC," it read.
Partial settlement?
Meanwhile, Jamil told The Express Tribune that the KMC and KDA have come to a settlement with respect to the division of properties between the two agencies. He said that the Civic Centre building's first four floors will be under KDA's use while KMC will run its operations from the sixth floor till the tenth floor. As for the Camp Office, he claimed that the KDA has a misunderstanding and the building belongs to the KMC.
However, a long-serving officer of the KDA denied any such settlement. The officer said that a meeting between Nasir and Jamil was held last week, in which it was decided that by October 14, KMC will vacate first the four floor floors of the Civic Centre building. After that, he said, the fifth floor will be vacated by the KMC by October 31. He added that the KMC will vacate floors six to 10 by November. As for the Camp Office, the official said that it belongs to the KDA and the KMC will have to vacate it at any cost.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 11th, 2016.
After the split between the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) and the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), the ongoing tug of war for possession of various properties between the two institutions has intensified as the latter is being forced to vacate most of its offices.
The staffers of the recently revived KDA are 'slowly and gradually taking over' Civic Centre, which was originally the head office of the KDA before it was merged with the KMC in the new local bodies systems of the City District Government Karachi (CDGK), was introduced and implemented during General (retd) Pervez Musharraf's government over 15 years ago.
In a recent move, the KDA has asked KMC, through a series of letters, to immediately hand over the bungalow at the Central Ordinance Depot (COD) - known as the KMC's camp office - to the KDA. However, the KMC has refused to do so. After the KDA's revival, KMC officers have already been asked by KDA director-general Syed Nasir Abbas to vacate the Civic Centre building.
The process of takeover started in the mid of June when Abbas - who was the senior director of KDA wing - was given the additional charge of the KDA director-general by the Sindh government and he started sitting in the office in which the KMC administrator used to sit.
When the then administrator of the KMC, Laeeq Ahmed, came to know that his office has been occupied by KDA director-general Nasir Abbas, he quietly shifted to the administrator's camp office located behind the National Stadium.
War of letters
Now that the elected mayor is in place, the KDA has also claimed possession of the camp office. According to the first letter written by Abbas regarding the matter on October 3, when the KDA was separated with its water wing and Karachi Water and Sewage Board (KWB) was formed, the KDA retained few residential premises from the water board, among which were the VVIP Rest House and the bungalow at the COD Hills.
"During the martial law regime, the VVIP Rest House at COD Hills remained in use of the Deputy Martial Law Administrator (DMLA), Karachi, thereafter, it was taken over by the Government of Sindh and now it is officially allocated to the Director General, Pakistan Rangers, Sindh," the letter read. It further explained that on creation of the CDGK, the bungalow presently in use of the KWSB managing director was allotted to the then City Nazim of Karachi but later, due to security reasons, was exchanged with the bungalow presently being used as KMC's camp office.
"On the revival of the KDA, a request was made to the administrator [of] KMC, Laeeq Ahmed, to kindly handover the physical possession of the Bungalow (Camp Office) to the KDA," read the letter. The administrator, according to the letter, verbally promised to hand over the possession of the camp office to the KDA but couldn't maintain his commitments and handed over the possession to the municipal commissioner of KMC, Badar Jamil.
"In such a situation, it is requested to hand over the physical possession of the bungalow to KDA immediately to avoid any legal complication, please," the letter ended on this note.
In a response to this, Jamil wrote back on October 4 that the matter was discussed with Local Government Minister Jam Khan Shoro by the deputy mayor, Arshad Vohra, and Shoro has allowed Vohra "to use the accommodation as camp office till further notice in the larger interest of smooth functioning of KMC."
On October 5, KDA again hit back through a letter. "It is requested to note that the name of [the] minister as quoted in your letter is totally unfounded as no instructions have been passed on to the undersigned so far," said the letter.
The letter further added that since the matter is official between the two civic bodies, it should be dealt at officers' level without involving elected representatives. "It is pointed out that some officers of KMC are playing mischievous role and creating problem for the superior hierarchy of KMC," it read.
Partial settlement?
Meanwhile, Jamil told The Express Tribune that the KMC and KDA have come to a settlement with respect to the division of properties between the two agencies. He said that the Civic Centre building's first four floors will be under KDA's use while KMC will run its operations from the sixth floor till the tenth floor. As for the Camp Office, he claimed that the KDA has a misunderstanding and the building belongs to the KMC.
However, a long-serving officer of the KDA denied any such settlement. The officer said that a meeting between Nasir and Jamil was held last week, in which it was decided that by October 14, KMC will vacate first the four floor floors of the Civic Centre building. After that, he said, the fifth floor will be vacated by the KMC by October 31. He added that the KMC will vacate floors six to 10 by November. As for the Camp Office, the official said that it belongs to the KDA and the KMC will have to vacate it at any cost.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 11th, 2016.