Daily Times

KARACHI: There is a dire need to make amendments in Sindh Local Government Ordinance (SLGO) 2013 in order to provide better civic facilities to citizens of Karachi and Sindh, said the Karachi Mayor.

Mayor Waseem Akhtar was of the view that six district municipal corporations, six cantonment boards, a district council, Defence Housing Authority (DHA) and six district administrations were working on civic problems of Karachi. “Such a large number of civic entities are working in Karachi and precisely this is creating difficulties for every entity,” he lamented. The Mayor explained that under SLGO 2013, provincial administration had kept civic powers under its control. He attributed Karachi’s civic woes to this move of the provincial administration.

“Lifting trash, garbage and correction and building of sewage system in city is not the job of provincial ministers or members of Sindh Assembly,” asserted Waseem.”This falls under purview of elected mayor and city councilors,” he added.

The Karachi Mayor said that while the provincial government should have supervisory power over local government, municipalities should not be micromanaged by a top heavy bureaucracy.

“The incoming PPP government should consider amending SLGO,” opined Akhtar while talking to the media. He said that a new mechanism needed to be devised to empower local governments.

Mayor Waseem Akhtar demanded forensic audit of Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) in order to find facts regarding the practice of giving private contracts for cleaning.

Waseem said that he had only 10 percent official powers. He added that under SLGO 2013, Sindh government had already usurped the mayor’s rights of executing city development projects.

Karachi Mayor, Waseem Akhtar appealed to Sindh Chief Minister (CM) and requested him to make changes to SLGO2013. He said that the current population of Karachi was more than 30 million.

Following Eidul Azha, the performance of civic authorities remained patchy throughout the metropolis. While in some areas, the civic authorities were quick to collect and dispose animal waste, heaps of offal were left to rot in other neighborhoods.

Published in Daily Times, August 26^th 2018.