City needs Rs100b development grant

Mayor calls on all parties to join hands in Parliament for Karachi's betterment

KARACHI:

The economic powerhouse of the country needs a Rs100 development grant in the new budget, Mayor Murtaza Wahab said Tuesday.

He urged MQM-Pakistan and representatives from various parties to play their role in ensuring Karachi gets its fair share in parliament.

City Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab has said that all elected representatives remained present on the ground during Eidul Azha. He applauded the sanitary staff and everyone involved in remarkable work in extreme heat over all three days. A total of 146,801 tons of offal and garbage was transported to the three landfill sites - Jam Chakro, Gond Pass, and Sharafi Goth GTS.

He was speaking at a presser at the KMC head office where he was flanked by Deputy Mayor Salman Abdullah Murad, MD Sindh Solid Waste Management Board Tariq Nizamani, Deputy Parliamentary Leader of the City Council Dil Muhammad, and others.

He shared that 96 collection points were set up across all 25 towns and 7 districts of the city. Citizens were provided with a 24-hour helpline (1128), through which 3,699 complaints were received, out of which 97.4% were addressed. He stressed that he personally toured the city to monitor the situation and take action regardless of any criticism, stating that there is no other example in the world of such a large amount of waste being removed in just three days.

With the budget approaching, he reiterated that Karachi deserves its due share, and while everyone talks about empowering local governments, actual support for Karachi is needed. He urged MQM-Pakistan and representatives from various parties to play their role in ensuring Karachi gets its fair share in parliament. He demanded that the upcoming budget allocate Rs100billion as a development grant for Karachi, the commercial and financial hub of the country.

The mayor said he has no objection if the federal and provincial governments appoint representatives to monitor the process. He invited Jamaat-e-Islami's Karachi chapter Ameer Munim Zafar and Federal Minister Mustafa Kamal to sit together and work for the city instead of indulging in criticism. "Work is happening in Karachi, but we are too busy pulling each other down. Please stop portraying the city in a negative light; this will not serve Karachi," he urged.

Mayor Wahab said that politics of discord must end if meaningful progress is to be achieved. "This time, there was no stench - only prejudice," he said. "Previously, there was China-cutting, now there is road cutting."

He said that Karachi's water sources lay over 125 kilometres away, and all he seeks is the rightful share for Karachiites. "We have passed the ball into the federal government's court," he said, urging Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to take action. "If he does, we will hold a joint press conference." He expressed hope that Mustafa Kamal would present Karachi's case in the cabinet meeting and have it approved, and that the PPP would also support the issue in the National Assembly.

He mentioned that action was taken against the "tallow mafia" in coordination with the Karachi Police Chief, leading to 144 FIRs and the arrest of 348 individuals. "Karachi is a vast city. When something bad happens, the mayor is blamed; when something good happens, others take credit."

Many people jump into the unregulated business of making tallow from the fat of sacrificial animals. If prepared under hygienic conditions, beef tallow can be used in cooking. However, scrupulous elements make edible oil from animal fat in extremely unhygienic conditions posing health risks for the consumers.

Mayor Wahab stated that tenders have been floated for drain cleaning in all seven districts, and that funding for the work comes from the provincial government. Small-scale winching operations are needed, and the Cantonment Board used GTS facilities for their work.