City yet to see local govt work
Girls try to cross a street without getting their feet in the overflowing sewage from a choked gutter in the Akhtar Colony neighbourhood. Photo: Jalal Qureshi/express
Despite the installation of elected local government representatives, residents of various localities in the metropolis express dissatisfaction, citing persistent issues such as overflowing gutters, missing manhole covers, unattended garbage piles, and deteriorating roads.
During a survey conducted by The Express Tribune, locals voiced their concerns, asserting that there has been no visible change since the municipal representatives took charge in Karachi.
Despite the anticipation of positive changes following the election of a mayor to lead the local government, the situation remains unchanged.
When the new local government leadership was elected in Karachi, the city's local government system was changed to 25 towns instead of seven districts.
In the local government elections, Pakistan Peoples Party won from 13 towns, Jamaat-e-Islami from nine and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf from three. However, no development works were taking place in any of these towns, residents of different localities said pointing towards heaps of garbage and spewing gutters.
Instead of giving priority to development works or public facilities, the town chairmen were either busy making their coordinators to run the affairs of the Town Municipal Corporation or the victimisation of political opponents. They take every chance to withholding or deduct salaries of TMC workers belonging to rival groups.
Sources say that several town chairmen have appointed private individuals as their coordinators and the affairs of all towns are being looked after by these private individuals and government employees are accountable to them.
Sources say that more than three months have passed since the town's chairmen got powers, but instead of solving the public issue, avenues for alleged corruption are being opened.
The frontmen of TMC were busy in extortion from pushcart vendors and shopkeepers in the name of anti-encroachment drive. Sources further claimed that unscrupulous elements in TMCV were minting money in the name of road cutting.
The discrimination with employees on the basis of political affiliation has given rise to feeling of alienation in many TMC workers. Disgruntled employees claimed that some TMC chairmen have appointed private persons in each department to look after the affairs of all the important departments of the city, due to which the government employees were irritated.
When The Express Tribune correspondent spoke to the citizens, they said that there is no concept of local government representatives in Karachi, no problem is being solved, the roads are broken, there are many encroachments and the city's parks are in bad condition.
Citizens expressed their disappointment and said that Karachi seems to have been neglected. Only a miracle can change the fate of this city.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 5th, 2023.