A general session of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) City Council was held on Thursday at the Council Hall of the KMC head office with Karachi Deputy Mayor Salman Abdullah Murad in chair.
City Council members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Jamaat-e-Islami protested during the council session and chanted slogans against Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab. They blamed the mayor of Karachi for allocating funds only to selected union committees. Meanwhile, journalists were mistreated in the press gallery.
During the meeting, 21 resolutions were passed by a majority vote. Among the key resolutions, the first congratulated Karamullah Waqasi, Imam Bakhsh Brohi, Babar Magsi, and Muhammad Waqar on their victories in the by-elections for various union committees across different Town Municipal Corporations (TMCs). It also felicitated Waqasi on his nomination as the Leader of the House.
The second resolution approved the promotion of all employees in grades one to four who had served the KMC for over 15 years.
Another resolution applauded Wahab for successfully implementing numerous development projects in the city. These initiatives included the repair and resurfacing of various roads and highways at a cost of Rs2 billion, the renovation and beautification of bridges, flyovers and underpasses, restoration of streetlights, development and beautification of parks, establishment of Karachi Metropolitan University, reforms in the Karachi Water & Sewerage Corporation leading to a record increase in monthly revenue, replacement of dilapidated water and sewerage lines, expedited execution of water supply projects, rehabilitation of the sewage treatment plant and others.
A resolution congratulated Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and his spokesperson Wahab for their pivotal role in the passage of the 26th Constitutional Amendment with a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly and Senate.
The KMC Council also passed a resolution commending the mayor for installing solar panels on the roof of the KMC central building to harness solar energy, recognising this initiative as exemplary.
Another resolution urged the Sindh government and KMC’s medical and health services department to conduct a comprehensive operation against quacks and unlicensed doctors and their clinics in Karachi.
Other resolutions included the approval of the KMC’s annual budget for 2023-24, recommendations for the allotment and transfer of land for Karachi Metropolitan University, direct publication of KMC advertisements in newspapers through the department of information, printing and media management, introduction of a new appointment procedure and time scale for Imam and Muazzin posts in the KMC, and imposition of charges for issuing house job certificates and experience certificates for medical professionals at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.
Additional resolutions involved upgrading the KMC accountant post from BPS-11 to BPS-16, granting the Manghopir Hospital the status of a major hospital, approving the construction of a 100-bed hospital on government land in Moromir Bahar (formerly SITE Town) for the middle class, and taking steps to restore traffic flow at Banaras Chowrangi.
The KMC City Council also demanded that the federal government prioritise use of Sindh’s natural gas to benefit the province's residents. It offered condolences to the families of those killed in terrorist incidents in Khurram, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Other resolutions called for removing encroachments from green belts along Hub River Road, planting new trees, increasing the OZT funds for UCs from Rs500,000 to Rs1.2 million monthly, and completing a pilot project at the Mauripur Sewage Treatment Plant to recycle sewage water for industrial and construction use.
Lastly, the KMC council congratulated the mayor on restoring the Jamila Pumping Station in Karachi’s Old City Area and implementing protective measures to preserve the city's rich cultural heritage.
The Opposition Leader of the City Council, Advocate Saifuddin, speaking to the media after the session, said that mistreating journalists in the press gallery by thuggish elements of the PPP and preventing them from covering the proceedings was condemnable. He demanded that the mayor take notice of this behaviour and take action against the PPP workers involved in mistreating the media.
He alleged that the municipal officers were running a system of corruption. "This corrupt system is being patronised by Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab. Looting is rampant across Sindh," he said. "We discussed these issues before the session, but today unelected representatives were seated in the meeting."
He also condemned what he said insult of traders by the mayor. "Karachi has been in a poor state under the PPP government for the past 16 years," he said, adding that billions of rupees were being released from public money, but their utilisation was nowhere to be seen. He said that half of Karachi has been without water for ten days, and all the work done without the oversight of union committees was falling prey to corruption.
He said that contracts in Karachi were being awarded without tenders. He blamed the Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) MPAs for being given Rs7 billion in funds, which were being used to silence the MQM.
"We will protest the mayor’s behaviour in the council and take this matter to the courts," he said. The deputy mayor later spoke with a group of journalists who were mistreated during the council session and assured them that their grievances would be addressed.
