Who’s minding the city?: Control confusion

After devolution, no body could take over work of devolved ministries.

ISLAMABAD:

Governance in the capital was never an easy job, and the 18th Amendment only made it harder.

After devolution in 2010, no body  existed to take ownership of services provided by the devolved ministries, leading to a stop-gap plan in which all work in the capital being done by these departments and ministries was moved to the newly-established Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD).

The success of this endeavour can be measured by the fact that in the last year alone, four secretaries have been appointed to oversee the division.

CADD Secretary Faridullah Khan said they were facing host of problems in every sector from health to education to civic administration. “The population of the capital has increased manifold and the existing hospitals were [planned based on demands from] 20 years back,” he said.

He freely admitted that every level was in total disarray. The Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education functions under the education ministry, while National Book Foundation and Pakistan Academy of Letters is run by the Establishment Division.

The ministry of education and CADD both lay claim to controlling educational institutes and allied bodies, and have sent formal requests up the chain of command to assert this claim.

Overlapping jurisdictions is another major issue that needs to be solved, according to the secretary.

“When [besides CADD] you have three parallel bodies — the CDA, interior ministry and Islamabad Capital Territory — running the city, what can you expect,” he asked.

Suggesting a solution, Khan said there is a need for an autonomous, province-like body to cater to the city’s issues.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th, 2014.