'Will bridge communication gap between provincial, local govts': Murtaza Wahab

Newly appointed Administrator Karachi Murtaza Wahab has said he will bridge the gap between provincial and local governments to solve the city's longstanding issues. 

Murtaza Wahab appointed Karachi administrator

Wahab was appointed as the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation's (KMC) administrator by the Local Government (LG) Department on Thursday.

The LG Department had issued an official notification to announce the appointment.

Referring to the relevant Sections of the Sindh Local Government Act and the decision of the Sindh Cabinet, the notification stated that Wahab had taken charge as the new KMC administrator, replacing Laeeq Ahmed, with immediate effect.

Following the appointment, Wahab had thanked PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, PPP President Asif Ali Zardari and CM Shah for appointing him as the administrator, in a recent post on his official Twitter account.

"I am grateful to Chairman Bilawal, President Zardari, Adi Faryal & CM Sindh for giving me the opportunity to serve my city. It is an honour for me & my entire family & Insha’Allah I will do my best to serve Karachi," he had said.

Murtaza Wahab on  his priorities as administrator Karachi 

PPP Leader and now administrator Karachi, Murtaza Wahab spoke in detail about his priorities and intentions as an administrator on the Geo News programme 'Aaj Shahzaib Khanzada Kay Saath'.  

Wahab stated that relations between the Sindh government and the local bodies have remained extremely tense in the past due to which many of Karachi's issues remained unsolved.

"Even a little bit of change will make it clear to the masses as to what a Karachi administrator can or cannot do with the same set of laws and powers," he explained.

He added that citizens of Karachi will see the communication gap between the provincial government and local government bridged.  

He further challenged the claim that the local bodies in Karachi are not empowered. "If local government is not an empowered one [as critics say] then under which government does the District Municipal Corporations come?" he asked.

The Karachi administrator said that the Sindh government had always empowered the DMCs in the city, however,  the DMCs did not listen to the Karachi mayor and neither did the mayor listen to the DMC.

"Whenever you take charge of any office, there are teething issues that come with it," he said. "DMCs had powers but they outsourced their projects to the Solid Waste Management Board," he added.

On the Issue of Public Transport 

Wahab has admitted that proper attention was not paid by the provincial government to the city's mass transit system, adding that the Sindh government was working towards improving it tremendously.

"By December of this year or the first quarter of 2022, 200 new buses will be provided to Karachi by the Sindh government," he said. "Besides that, the groundbreaking of the Asian Development Bank-funded Red Line buses will be conducted within two months as well," he added.

"We have made mistakes in the transport sector but let me assure you that there is a plan in place and we will deliver," he promised.

Governor backs Wahab

In response to a question, the Karachi administrator said he met Governor Sindh Imran Ismail yesterday during the oath-taking ceremony where they discussed his appointment as Karachi's administrator.

Wahab said though Ismail had opposed his appointment, he wished him the best of luck and offered his cooperation in the days to come.