‘Karachi treated like an ATM, given nothing in return’

Mayor says city desperately needs targeted development

Lamenting the continuous injustice meted out to Karachi, the city’s mayor said on Tuesday that the metropolis was considered nothing but an ATM - generating the major chunk of the country’s revenue but given nothing in return.

“Karachi needs targeted development and for this purpose I have written letters to the prime minister and the Sindh chief minister giving them suggestions for solving the city’s problems on an urgent basis,” Waseem Akhtar told reporters at the Karachi Press Club’s “Meet the Press” programme.

The mayor said the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation no longer had control over revenue generating departments and all the powers vested in the provincial government.

“Karachi has been subjected to injustice ever since the country came into being,” he added.

The mayor said there was a need to join hands to develop all the cities of the province.

“To ensure that the funds allocated for development projects are spent properly, I am personally monitoring work on the roads,” he said. “The chief minister too has ordered that the schemes should be carried out transparently,” he added.

The mayor said administrators were running municipal affairs in the past and he was working to fix this issue.

He said the media had always supported him. “I want the media to further support me now so that the citizens can learn about the difficulties being faced by local government representatives.”

Replying to a query, he said the home department had informed him that he was facing security threats.

“However, the security arrangements for me are unsatisfactory and it is the duty of the government to ensure my protection.”

Kamal’s demand

The mayor welcomed former mayor and Pak Sarzameen Party chief Mustafa Kamal’s demand that the local government should be given administrative and financial powers as per the Article 140-A of the Constitution.

“This is our foremost demand too and if anybody has endorsed it, we welcome this positive gesture,” he added.

Akhtar said everybody took Karachi for granted and he wanted to restore the city to its old title of the “City of Lights”.

“It is the responsibility of every individual, political party and group to play its due role in reviving the past glory of the city.”

Mustafa Kamal, at the PSP’s rally near the Tibet Centre on Sunday, had given 30 days to the federal and provincial governments to empower the local government otherwise his party would announce its future course of action.

When it was pointed out that the PSP chief had also criticised the authorities for the garbage piling up in Karachi, the mayor said ha had approached the provincial government so that funds and powers were given to the KMC for addressing this issue.