PTI may approach court to remove mayor
Awan says he bears no grudge against mayor but can’t leave people at his mercy
Islamabad High Court. PHOTO: IHC WEBSITE
ISLAMABAD:
Members of the ruling PTI intend to force Islamabad Mayor Sheikh Anser Aziz out of his seat, threatening to move the court unless he leaves voluntarily.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Capital Development Authority (CDA) Ali Nawaz Awan on Sunday accosted Mayor Aziz and his elected Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) of failing to address the city’s critical issues.
“The mayor and his team have turned the city into a 'kachra kundi' (garbage dump)," Awan said, adding that fellow lawmakers from the federal capital including MNA Raja Khurram Shehzad and former federal finance minister Asad Umar are likely to file a petition before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) calling for the mayor’s removal.
“We will request the court to transfer the affairs of IMC to the Climate Change Ministry or the Capital Development Authority (CDA) as the mayor,” the special assistant said.
Noting that the IMC had failed to address even the most basic of civil issues of the federal capital under Aziz’s leadership, Awan said that that the mayor had grossly failed to end the chronic problem of water shortage in the city.
He pointed out that the city administration had ensured the provision of 256 million gallons per day (MGD) to the capital dwellers six years ago but the residents of the city were getting but a fraction of that. He added that of the 156 tube-wells installed in the federal capital, 50 were dysfunctional.
Awan added that residents of Sectors I-8, I-9 and I-10 were getting an intermittent supply of water as five of the 16 tube-wells in these areas had broken down.
He lamented that the mayor preferred to roam around the world rather than solve basic issues of citizens.
Another critical area which was not being paid any attention was the collection and disposal of garbage from the city. One major issue plaguing this area was that sanitation workers in various sectors are not paid their salaries on time, prompting them to protest.
Awan went on to explain that the IMC owes some Rs300 million to private contractors who used to collect garbage from the city collection.
Awan, who was a member of the IMC before he resigned his union chairman position to contest the July 25, 2018, general elections, pointed to the poor state of affairs at the Marghzar Zoo in the federal capital where animals were in poor condition owing to the alleged negligence of IMC officials.
He said that despite court orders, IMC officials were unwilling to hand over the zoo to the climate change ministry.
He added that they were also considering other options to remove the mayor, including asking union council chairmen — most of whom belong to Aziz’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) — to bring a vote of no-confidence against the IMC for the sake of the city.
The special assistant clarified that he had no personal grudge with the mayor but that he could not leave the residents of the federal capital at the mercy of the mayor.
Labelling Islamabad as the face of the country, he accused the mayor of deliberately performing poorly.
“He (Aziz) has a plan to turn the federal capital into another Karachi for political gains,” Awan alleged.
The former IMC member said that the local government body had collected as much as Rs2 billion from the public under various charges but was not using the money to provide services to the city.
He said the previous government had announced to form a board under the Local Government Act 2015, but it was never constituted owing to the mayor’s indifference towards public issues.
Further criticizing Aziz’s administration of the local government body’s affairs, the special assistant claimed that the mayor failed to convene even as single budget session since his election while the dream to formulate the corporation’s rules of business and financial regulations remain elusive.
To a question, Awan said that a permanent landfill will be developed in the federal capital by the end of the year as the CDA was in the process of hiring consultants for the purpose.
He said the civic agency had also set up five garbage sorting stations on international standards, claiming that the issue of waste management will be resolved within the next four months.
Nawaz said the CDA board has approved four sites to set up graveyards in Lakhwal, Bhara Kahu, Farash and Humak to facilitate citizens of rural areas while selection for the location of the fifth graveyard was in process.
The IMC was elected in March 2016 and is set to complete its term in about six months in March 2020. For around two years, Aziz held the dual charge of IMC mayor and CDA chairman until he was forced to relinquish his second position following a court order.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 16th, 2019.
Members of the ruling PTI intend to force Islamabad Mayor Sheikh Anser Aziz out of his seat, threatening to move the court unless he leaves voluntarily.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Capital Development Authority (CDA) Ali Nawaz Awan on Sunday accosted Mayor Aziz and his elected Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) of failing to address the city’s critical issues.
“The mayor and his team have turned the city into a 'kachra kundi' (garbage dump)," Awan said, adding that fellow lawmakers from the federal capital including MNA Raja Khurram Shehzad and former federal finance minister Asad Umar are likely to file a petition before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) calling for the mayor’s removal.
“We will request the court to transfer the affairs of IMC to the Climate Change Ministry or the Capital Development Authority (CDA) as the mayor,” the special assistant said.
Noting that the IMC had failed to address even the most basic of civil issues of the federal capital under Aziz’s leadership, Awan said that that the mayor had grossly failed to end the chronic problem of water shortage in the city.
He pointed out that the city administration had ensured the provision of 256 million gallons per day (MGD) to the capital dwellers six years ago but the residents of the city were getting but a fraction of that. He added that of the 156 tube-wells installed in the federal capital, 50 were dysfunctional.
Awan added that residents of Sectors I-8, I-9 and I-10 were getting an intermittent supply of water as five of the 16 tube-wells in these areas had broken down.
He lamented that the mayor preferred to roam around the world rather than solve basic issues of citizens.
Another critical area which was not being paid any attention was the collection and disposal of garbage from the city. One major issue plaguing this area was that sanitation workers in various sectors are not paid their salaries on time, prompting them to protest.
Awan went on to explain that the IMC owes some Rs300 million to private contractors who used to collect garbage from the city collection.
Awan, who was a member of the IMC before he resigned his union chairman position to contest the July 25, 2018, general elections, pointed to the poor state of affairs at the Marghzar Zoo in the federal capital where animals were in poor condition owing to the alleged negligence of IMC officials.
He said that despite court orders, IMC officials were unwilling to hand over the zoo to the climate change ministry.
He added that they were also considering other options to remove the mayor, including asking union council chairmen — most of whom belong to Aziz’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) — to bring a vote of no-confidence against the IMC for the sake of the city.
The special assistant clarified that he had no personal grudge with the mayor but that he could not leave the residents of the federal capital at the mercy of the mayor.
Labelling Islamabad as the face of the country, he accused the mayor of deliberately performing poorly.
“He (Aziz) has a plan to turn the federal capital into another Karachi for political gains,” Awan alleged.
The former IMC member said that the local government body had collected as much as Rs2 billion from the public under various charges but was not using the money to provide services to the city.
He said the previous government had announced to form a board under the Local Government Act 2015, but it was never constituted owing to the mayor’s indifference towards public issues.
Further criticizing Aziz’s administration of the local government body’s affairs, the special assistant claimed that the mayor failed to convene even as single budget session since his election while the dream to formulate the corporation’s rules of business and financial regulations remain elusive.
To a question, Awan said that a permanent landfill will be developed in the federal capital by the end of the year as the CDA was in the process of hiring consultants for the purpose.
He said the civic agency had also set up five garbage sorting stations on international standards, claiming that the issue of waste management will be resolved within the next four months.
Nawaz said the CDA board has approved four sites to set up graveyards in Lakhwal, Bhara Kahu, Farash and Humak to facilitate citizens of rural areas while selection for the location of the fifth graveyard was in process.
The IMC was elected in March 2016 and is set to complete its term in about six months in March 2020. For around two years, Aziz held the dual charge of IMC mayor and CDA chairman until he was forced to relinquish his second position following a court order.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 16th, 2019.