Manhole fund

As a response to the recent tragedy of a three-year-old child falling to his death in an open manhole, the mayor of Karachi has announced a Rs100,000 monthly fund for Union Committees (UCs) across the city, dedicated to streetlight maintenance and installation or replacement of manhole covers. Mayor Murtaza Wahab claims that this initiative is meant to commence from December and will improve municipal services and infrastructural issues.

But as per the pattern of governance in Karachi, the mere announcement of fund allocation is never a holistic answer to most civic problems. Problem-solving in this financial hub has to go through multiple blockades including delays, corruption, bribery, cross-organisational cooperation and finally, execution. Therefore, it would be foolish to celebrate this announcement which has already been accused of pandering to public sentiments and being a political point-scorer by the opposition — amidst city-wide calls for the mayor's resignation.

It is also incumbent on the public to recall multiple other infrastructural lapses that can turn deadly, which still exist and are neither being acknowledged nor being improved upon. Do citizens have to sacrifice one innocent life per problem for the authorities to take action? Do broken roads, non-functional traffic signs, mismanaged pole wires and unsafe streets must first effectuate civic unrest?

Throwing money at a problem and then stepping back will never solve it. There must be systems in place that ensure fair allocation of funds, as well as traceable maps of accountability. The mayor should personally see to the implementation of his initiatives along with subsequent follow-ups that will also address the problem of stolen manhole covers. Until and unless such systems are developed, announced and enacted, the opposition proves to be right in saying that fund allocation is a mere political point-scorer rather than a meaningful fix.