SC summoning Karachi

Until workers are trained and then held accountable for the quality of work, a clean Karachi will remain a fantasy

The Supreme Court has become reactivated in its mission to clean up Karachi’s systems, streets, and secretaries. Easier said than done, certainly. Also true is that the timing is perhaps off. Ramazan is a difficult month to assess employees’ full productivity since low energy and scathing heat levels are not conducive to efficiency. At any rate, the honourable justices, while hearing a case about encroachment around the city, ventured to straighten out other aspects of our metropolis that broadcast a negative image considering the potential it has. Should the chief minister of Sindh and the mayor of Karachi sit down to etch out a plan for Karachi’s clean-up, that potential can be realised. However, until workers are trained and then held accountable for the quality of work they do, a clean Karachi will remain a fantasy.

The last time Karachi received a quick makeover was when cricket came to National Stadium in March. That was obviously a temporary fix. One of the first tasks in achieving overall cleanliness across the city is to remove encroachment. However, while simultaneously dealing with poverty, those who are pushed towards encroachment to earn daily wages should be provided an alternative space to continue their trade. On the other hand, larger businessmen should be fined or forced to purchase permits where possible to use public space such as footpaths and roads. Until the tax net is secure and the system allows for using taxes for the upkeep of public roads and land, other immediate remedies will have to be sought.

Implementation is the path to improving Karachi’s infrastructure. Ordinances and regulations can be passed, such as the ban on plastic bags to reduce waste, but until penalties are dealt through legitimate means and not through officials taunting or bullying business owners, future clean-up drives will be ephemeral. City officials and workers need to be trained and provided incentives; worker motivation needs to be fostered as this is certainly not the Supreme Court’s job. Urban planning is also key to restricting where certain public and residential edifices can be established.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 17^th, 2019.

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