A day in the life of: Slew of orders, threats as Karachi administrator checks projects

Baradari car parking plaza is being built at a cost of Rs400 million.

KARACHI: He might be relatively older, but as Karachi’s administrator, Muhammad Hussain Syed, got out of his car on Thursday morning to inspect projects, his steps had a youthful bounce and his energy levels were high.

The chief of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) was dressed in blue jeans and a checked jacket. He ran ahead of the crowd and left KMC officials struggling for air as they tried to keep up. “Do you think I am joking?” he said while talking to the contractor responsible for constructing the recently completed Baradari car parking plaza. This was just the beginning of a trip to check the progress of projects initiated by former city nazim Mustafa Kamal, who once displayed similar levels of energy when it came to whizzing about the city.

“Seal this place if the contractor fails to deliver by next month,” said the administrator to his officers. “The contractors have failed to rehabilitate the Baradari park on time and they are fooling us.”

The controversial two-storey underground car parking space was built inside the park at a cost of Rs400 million and was funded by the five-star hotel next door. It is a joint venture between the KMC and hotel administration.

The administrator was upset that hotel guests were allowed to park on the property as it was damaging the ground. “There are many offices around PIDC and people can’t find a place to park their cars,” he said. “Well, they can use this for a nominal charge.”

Cutting the cord

While checking out the new building of Sobhraj Maternity Hospital, which can accommodate more than 200 patients, the administrator peeked through windows, opened and closed doors and asked about empty rooms.

“Yaar, at least cover the incubators with a cloth,” he said while talking to the hospital administration of the five-storey building. “They are rusting.” Although, it is a KMC property, the new building was constructed by the Feroza Hashim Trust.

My way or the highway

According to the administrator, every other day someone is killed or injured on Korangi road towards Landhi. “We are increasing the width of the road to 60 feet by spending Rs12.9 million,” he said. “The work should be done in 15 days.” While arguing with the works and services officials, he said that they should also have holes to let water pass through.

Bumper to bumper

While talking about the traffic at Korangi crossing, the administrator said that they will redirect the roads. Work is being done on the 2.5-kilometre 13,000 Road and 1.5 kilometre 1,500 Road in Landhi. The administrator travelled in a green bus and was escorted by a senior police official. He seemed to be in a hurry and kept on asking how many funds were needed.

Arts and more

On Friday, Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad was told that the Fyzee Rahamin Art Gallery and Auditorium would be completed and would be opened for the public by June. According to a senior KMC official, the auditorium has the capacity to seat 1,800 people and the government was determined to complete it. The project was started by Kamal in 2008 was scheduled to be completed by 2009 but was left halfway due to a shortage of funds. The administrator said that the auditorium was being built at a cost of Rs530 million. He added that nearly 400 cars could be parked around the auditorium.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2012.

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Senator Haji Ghulam Ali referred to the venue in his speech, saying, “Girls used to dance here. Now you can see the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) flag is aloft.” The volunteers struggled with crowd control when a horde of party supporters surged towards the stage and press area during Asr prayers. It was hard to estimate the number of people at the rally, but the ground was packed with supporters carrying JUI-F flags.

Mufti Kifayatullah, a JUI-F MPA in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, took a more dramatic approach. He made the crowd rise, hold hands and vow to God that they would shed their own blood for the sake of a revolution.

Wafaqul Madaris al Arabia’s Hanif Jallandhri also echoed the criticism of the PTI that was a running theme among speakers. Jallandhri hit out at “those steeped in western culture, trying to change Pakistan’s qibla in the name of tsunamis”. He asked the crowd to respond if they wanted “Islam or roshan khayali”. Islam or enlightenment.

The JUI-F rally also presented a number of resolutions, calling on the government to review foreign policy and to pay compensation for those killed in violence in Karachi, against the division of Sindh and KESC management, and for Aafia Siddiqui’s release.

Speakers railed and recited poetry against the US and western culture, ignoring that their own leader was the subject of a US Embassy cable released by WikiLeaks that noted his lobbying to then-US ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson to make him prime minister. Poetry at the rally also called for the Ahmadiyya community to repent. Others criticised those who believe in socialism and communism, and Awami National Party leader Asfandyar Wali was alleged to have supported the countries that engaged in war in Afghanistan – then the USSR and the US.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2012.