City council members rage against Sindh govt over unapproved schemes

Members, including mayor, DMC chairmen, protest outside Sindh Assembly

KARACHI: The ongoing power tussle between the Sindh and elected local government intensified on Friday when members of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation's (KMC) city council took to the streets for their council powers in front of the Sindh Assembly building. All members of the council were present except for those belonging to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

Even before its formation, the city council was stripped of its powers by the Sindh government. After the 18th Amendment, the provinces were made autonomous but they failed to delegate powers to the local government. The elected city council has no powers in areas and functions falling under the jurisdiction of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), master plan department, Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB), Karachi Development Authority (KDA), Lyari Development Authority (LDA), Malir Development Authority (MDA), Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) and Sindh Sanitation Board.

The on and off estrangement between the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) – Pakistan, the party to which the city’s mayor belongs, and the PPP, which has been in power in the province, has continued for almost a year. To add insult to injury, the Sindh government did not approve even one of the 143 development schemes proposed by the city council at a cost of Rs25 billion for the provincial Annual Development Programme (ADP). This triggered a massive protest.



The protest

The protest, which started relatively late, began with members from MQM – Pakistan thronging the roundabout of Kabutar Chowk. District Municipal Corporation (DMC) Central Chairman Rehan Hashmi, DMC East Chairman Moeed Anwar and DMC Korangi Chairman Nayyar Raza brought protesters with them.

The protest was held against the Sindh government for not including a single scheme proposed by KMC's city council in the recently passed Sindh budget. Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar had termed the lack of inclusion a 'sheer insult' to the elected city council.

As the protesters gathered around the roundabout the gates of the Sindh Assembly were closed with chains. Members of the MQM - Pakistan inside the building tried to exit the premises but since the gates were padlocked they could not take part in the protest.

Akhtar poked and prodded a policeman standing on other side of the gate through the narrow gaps in the iron gate and demanded the personnel unlock it. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf's (PTI) Karachi President Firdous Shamim Naqvi, who was standing beside Akhtar, yelled, "What democracy is this?"



Naqvi said that the PPP has a cowardly attitude. "They are afraid of talking to us," he said.

Speaking to the media, Hashmi said that most of the schemes were of areas where PPP has its stronghold, yet they were not approved. Later, addressing the protesters, Naqvi said that the city is in dire need of mass transit system. He asked the Sindh government whether the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) projects will remain on paper forever or whether something concrete will happen.

The Sindh government, he said, cannot run even a single park on its own. Meanwhile, Akthar said that with the consent of all political parties of the city council they proposed the 143 schemes for the city. "Not a single one was approved," he lamented, adding that all the figures given in the budget are fabrications.



He asked the Sindh government what happened of the Chinese company that came to the city to lift garbage. He said that the areas from where the PPP's MPAs are elected have been ruined and now they are all geared up to ruin the rest of the port city. But we will not let that happen, he vowed.

Referring to Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Akhtar said Shah says that he got Karachi in a bad shape but this is the ninth consecutive time his government is presenting the budget.