Residents of Islamabad keep hoping for betterment in 2018
The year when mayor’s uncomfortable two-boat tango ended
The year when mayor’s uncomfortable two-boat tango ended. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
For a second successive year, the elected representatives in the municipal corporations kept clutching at straws while the bureaucrats in the development authorities cared little to provide the needed leadership and sustainable development for the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
Despite that, the capital had quite a memorable year with major events.
The year had started off with plenty of promise. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif took a special interest in development in the capital — especially with respect to projects linking the New Islamabad International Airport.
Govt revives plan to relocate GHQ from Rawalpindi to Islamabad
For this purpose, the government announced to extend the metro bus from Peshawar Mor to the airport at a cost of Rs18 billion. However, the project fell prey to administrative issues, structural problems and was even derailed by the seismic political shifts in the capital.
Originally slated to be completed by August 14, the project faced multiple delays — much like the new airport — and remained unfinished by the end of the year.
During the outgoing year, the civic bodies failed to implement financial or administrative discipline in almost all their departments, while Capital Development Authority (CDA) did not move an inch towards sectoral and infrastructural development as well as for recuperation of environment.
Year to forget for mayor
Sheikh Anser Aziz, who had been elected as the first mayor of Islamabad in 2016 and lobbied to become the chairman of the CDA in September 2016, was ousted by the Islamabad High Court just days before the year ended.
During his brief tenure, he did attempt to take on encroachers in the city and the malaise of corruption — particularly in the way the authority keeps on sanctioning illegal buildings. But it yielded mixed results with Aziz enjoying limited success against encroachers. He also had limited success against the construction of illegal housing societies in the capital with the CDA cancelling leases of some key under construction buildings.
Moreover, he could do little to stem the decay of structures in the capital.While he remains in the mayor’s office, it was one which continued to give him the greatest of grief.
Sessions of the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) were frequently dotted by protests against him for one thing or another — primarily for doing little to empower the council’s elected member and failing to ensure a smooth transfer of resources from CDA.
The IMC had held its first session on June 27, 2016. At the time, the session was dominated by issues of water supply and sanitation. As 2018 rolls around, the local government and Aziz have so far failed to fully address this critical issue.
Nearly two years after they were elected, the IMC has been unable to even chalk out a clear roadmap to address civic issues. To make matters worse, the IMC was ignored in the annual budgetary roll out.
Key civic systems including garbage removal, waste management, road maintenance, public transport, horticulture, safe access to public spaces, climate mitigation and adaptation have become multi-dimensional city management practices which require special technical skills.
Islamabad not to bow to ‘do more’ demands
In some union councils, sewerage continues to mix with clean water, whereas there is no playground or public parks for children in almost all union councils of rural areas of twin cities. Despite attracting special attention and criticism of parliamentarians besides a keen vigil from the courts and civil society members, the civic and environmental issues of twin cities particularly federal capital are deteriorating with each passing day.
Pindi nonchalance
Rawalpindi started 2017 with a new local government in power with Sardar Naseem the seventh mayor of the garrison city.
It was hoped that Naseem — with the backing of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) — would finally turn things around.
But development work in Rawalpindi saw no major initiatives, while many important ongoing projects in health and infrastructure development remained unattended, apparently owing to lack of interest from local body representatives.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 1st, 2018.
For a second successive year, the elected representatives in the municipal corporations kept clutching at straws while the bureaucrats in the development authorities cared little to provide the needed leadership and sustainable development for the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
Despite that, the capital had quite a memorable year with major events.
The year had started off with plenty of promise. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif took a special interest in development in the capital — especially with respect to projects linking the New Islamabad International Airport.
Govt revives plan to relocate GHQ from Rawalpindi to Islamabad
For this purpose, the government announced to extend the metro bus from Peshawar Mor to the airport at a cost of Rs18 billion. However, the project fell prey to administrative issues, structural problems and was even derailed by the seismic political shifts in the capital.
Originally slated to be completed by August 14, the project faced multiple delays — much like the new airport — and remained unfinished by the end of the year.
During the outgoing year, the civic bodies failed to implement financial or administrative discipline in almost all their departments, while Capital Development Authority (CDA) did not move an inch towards sectoral and infrastructural development as well as for recuperation of environment.
Year to forget for mayor
Sheikh Anser Aziz, who had been elected as the first mayor of Islamabad in 2016 and lobbied to become the chairman of the CDA in September 2016, was ousted by the Islamabad High Court just days before the year ended.
During his brief tenure, he did attempt to take on encroachers in the city and the malaise of corruption — particularly in the way the authority keeps on sanctioning illegal buildings. But it yielded mixed results with Aziz enjoying limited success against encroachers. He also had limited success against the construction of illegal housing societies in the capital with the CDA cancelling leases of some key under construction buildings.
Moreover, he could do little to stem the decay of structures in the capital.While he remains in the mayor’s office, it was one which continued to give him the greatest of grief.
Sessions of the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) were frequently dotted by protests against him for one thing or another — primarily for doing little to empower the council’s elected member and failing to ensure a smooth transfer of resources from CDA.
The IMC had held its first session on June 27, 2016. At the time, the session was dominated by issues of water supply and sanitation. As 2018 rolls around, the local government and Aziz have so far failed to fully address this critical issue.
Nearly two years after they were elected, the IMC has been unable to even chalk out a clear roadmap to address civic issues. To make matters worse, the IMC was ignored in the annual budgetary roll out.
Key civic systems including garbage removal, waste management, road maintenance, public transport, horticulture, safe access to public spaces, climate mitigation and adaptation have become multi-dimensional city management practices which require special technical skills.
Islamabad not to bow to ‘do more’ demands
In some union councils, sewerage continues to mix with clean water, whereas there is no playground or public parks for children in almost all union councils of rural areas of twin cities. Despite attracting special attention and criticism of parliamentarians besides a keen vigil from the courts and civil society members, the civic and environmental issues of twin cities particularly federal capital are deteriorating with each passing day.
Pindi nonchalance
Rawalpindi started 2017 with a new local government in power with Sardar Naseem the seventh mayor of the garrison city.
It was hoped that Naseem — with the backing of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) — would finally turn things around.
But development work in Rawalpindi saw no major initiatives, while many important ongoing projects in health and infrastructure development remained unattended, apparently owing to lack of interest from local body representatives.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 1st, 2018.