City Council opposition leader says UC chairmen unable to exercise powers even after one year

The leader of the opposition in the City Council, Saifuddin Advocate, has criticised the Pakistan Peoples Party government for its failure to resolve problems of Karachi’s people and said that Karachiites have been the main victim of bad governance and corruption.

Talking to the media at his office on Friday, the JI leader recalled that earlier the mandate of Karachiites was stolen by the Pakistan Peoples Party and later the system was crippled by the regime.

He elaborated that the union council chairmen were unable to exercise their powers even after one year and even the opposition leader was provided with an office after one year he joined the position.

Saifuddin said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the JI had been constituting a majority in the city council, but the PPP — the minority — was enjoying powers and the majority was pushed to opposition benches.

He alleged that corruption and bribery have been ruling in the local government institutions by the grace of the PPP. He further alleged that officers get the postings of their will against heavy bribes.

He said that the mayor was still acting like an undemocratic, appointed administrator and he did not know how to deliver or how to produce results, he added. He shed light in detail on the burning issues of Karachi, and said that none of them were addressed by the ruling regime.

During a meeting of parliamentary leaders of the City Council held at his office earlier this week, Saifuddin Advocate had said the current water crisis and mounting garbage heaps in Karachi clearly indicated the failure of both the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation and the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board.

The meeting, convened by Saifuddin, and it aimed to address grievances related to water supply, solid waste management and other critical matters. Notable attendees included Najmi Alam from the Pakistan Peoples Party, Munashir Hafizul Haq from the Pakistan Tehreek-e Insaf and Mohammad Feroz from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

During the meeting, the JI leader criticised the ineffectiveness of the water and sewerage corporation and the solid waste management authorities, describing their performance as deeply disappointing.

He stressed the urgency of placing these departments under the oversight of elected representatives at the level of union committees. He proposed that parliamentary leaders of the local government should arrange a meeting with senior officials from the two organisations to devise a mechanism where local government representatives could actively monitor the operations of these agencies.

In response, Najmi Alam assured the parliamentary leaders that a meeting would soon be arranged to develop a joint strategy aimed at ensuring smoother management of these crucial civic agencies.