‘All that rubbish and you talk about a food street!’

Do your job or go home, water commission tells municipal authorities

KARACHI: Rubbish!

One word that was on the mind of Justice (Retd) Amir Hani Muslim, the head of the Supreme Court-mandated Commission on Water and Sanitation, as he tore into officials of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) and municipal authorities.

The commission took up the case of a proposal to develop a food street in Saddar that has become a source of contention between the municipal authorities and shopkeepers, who fear their businesses would be affected by the plan. The hearing was attended by Karachi Police chief AIG Amir Sheikh, SBCA DG Iftikhar Qaimkhani, municipal commissioner and other officials.

“You cannot even maintain cleanliness outside your own houses and you talk about making a food street!” remarked Justice Muslim. “Have you seen Saddar’s condition - the traffic, push-carts?”



Failed at their jobs

The commission chief declared that the District South DMC had failed miserably in its job. Expressing displeasure over the state of the city’s civic affairs, Justice Muslim questioned why rubble at Sea View had not been picked up yet. He added that garbage was piling up outside the Sindh High Court’s premises while the authorities did nothing. A DMC South official responded that they had placed dustbins at Kabootar Chowk (Pigeon Roundabaout), but had to remove them due to security issues.

Taking exception to the response, Justice Muslim said that plastic bottles and debris kept piling up around the roundabout. “If we have to interfere in such minor things, you should all pack up and go home,” he remarked.

Speaking about the food street, the municipal commissioner told the commission that the project was initiated in 2012 and its first phase had already been completed. Justice Muslim remarked that the municipal body had brought push-carts and allowed them to stand in Saddar. “I am ordering their removal and you keep bringing them back,” he said. The municipal commissioner argued that push-carts had been removed and the situation was much better now.

“How many push-carts did you remove?” asked Justice Muslim. “Don’t argue or I’ll take you with me to see.”

The commission head then inquired about the master plan for the food street. “Where will the waste from the food street go?” he asked the municipal commissioner. No response, adding that the officials were making big talk without a concrete plan.

The commission asked the project engineer under what law the road was being converted into a food street. Again, the official had no response.

A new form of china-cutting

Also present at the hearing were representatives of shopkeepers based in and around Saddar. Their lawyer told the commission that this was the new face of china-cutting, whereby barriers had been placed in front of shops, pleading that the matter be sent to the National Accountability Bureau for investigation.



On another question, the municipal commissioner said that funds for the construction would be released by the local government. “Why don’t you spend this money on improving the sewerage system or for provision of water?” questioned Justice Muslim.

The project consultant told the commission that the rehabilitation of Jahangir Park was part of the project. “Don’t fool us, do I live in London?” Justice Muslim quipped, adding that developing a food street in the middle of a road in Saddar would cause a traffic chaos. “If you want to have a food street, buy shops and have it in them,” he said, “but we will not let you make a food street in the middle of the road.”

The commission then ordered to set up a committee, under the supervision of focal person Asif Shah, to resolve the conflict.

Khalid bin Waleed Road

The commission granted the authorities an extension till October 25 to devise and execute a plan to rid Khalid bin Waleed Road, Tariq Road and their adjoining areas of encroachments. The commission also directed the authorities to charge the cost of removing the encroachments from the land grabbers.

The commission’s coordinator, Haider Shah, said that the affected areas had been identified. District East deputy commissioner said that a plan for removing encroachments from Khalid bin Waleed Road, Sir Syed Road and Allama Iqbal Road had been formulated and that the drive would begin after the by-elections. He added that the cleanliness and water provision issues in the respective areas would also be resolved.

Water shortage

Separately, Justice Muslim ordered District West deputy commissioner, SBCA DG, Karachi Water and Sewerage Board MD and Sindh Industrial and Trading Estate Karachi MD to appear before it on November 11, to respond to complaints regarding water theft and encroachments on nullahs.

The commission, expressing displeasure over the shortage of water, ordered to dismiss the valve men on receiving a complaint regarding water shortage in North Karachi. The commission remarked that the performance of the KWSB’s officials was regrettable, adding that the incompetent officials should be sent to jail.

The order to dismiss the valve men came in the wake of complaints by residents of North Karachi who told the commission that they come to the court as a last resort in their quest for water. “They won’t change until 10 or 12 people are dismissed,” said the commission head.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2018.