‘Rain has exposed corruption, mismanagement of govt, KMC’

The recent rains and the situation that has unfolded in their aftermath have exposed the “corruption and mismanagement” of the Pakistan Peoples Party’s Sindh government and the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), said the Jamaat-e-Islami’s Saifuddin Advocate on Thursday.

The KMC city council opposition leader said that the “adamant” city mayor needs to realise that Karachi is a mega city, and that it is not limited to the route between his office and his residence in a posh locality.

He said that it seems that the mayor considers only a portion of the city as Karachi, which is why he always claims everything is okay in the megalopolis.

He also said that the recent rains have caused large swaths of roads to vanish, adding that even a small amount of rain causes havoc in the city.

He held “corruption, mismanagement and criminal negligence” responsible for the situation, highlighting that the roads constructed and renovated under the CLICK project have been badly affected by light rain showers.

The JI leader said that the broken roads and potholes cause serious problems for commuters. He highlighted the physical and mental health issues, along with traffic jams, associated with the civic problem.

He claimed that loans taken out for the development and progress of Karachi have been siphoned off. He demanded that the authorities launch an investigation, and bring those responsible for “the corruption” to justice.

He also highlighted stagnant water, foul smell, rotting trash along the roads, and open manholes as major troubles for commuters in the city during the monsoon season.

Unfortunately, he lamented, the “power hungry mayor wants to run the KMC under fascism, in line with his party’s mindset”. He said the mayor is unable to deliver, and delegate or devolve powers.

Billions of rupees are spent every year on the renovation and carpeting of roads in Karachi, yet the situation remains the same, and the city is kept deprived, he added.

‘Poor LG system’

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Karachi President Raja Azhar on Thursday expressed concerns over the deteriorating situation in Karachi after the rains, saying that the rains have exposed the allegedly poor local government system.

Azhar said that the entire city has been affected by the recent rains, and that people are the worst affected due to allegedly poor rain emergency management by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and the Sindh government.

He said Sharea Faisal, and the Nazimabad, Liaquatabad, Orangi, Gurumandir, MA Jinnah, Saddar, Landhi and Korangi roads among many important roads have been badly affected due to rains.

He also said potholes have formed in the roads and have affected the traffic system badly. He called for imposing an effective rain emergency in the city as soon as possible.