Daily Times

In the absence of any viable solution and master plan, the formation of a coordination committee on Karachi is just a popular move, which may not bring about a visible change to the city’s infrastructure. In one way, it is the breach of provincial autonomy, and very strangely, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has also agreed to be part of the committee, which recently met in Islamabad. The body consists of the PPP, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P). The committee’s core objective is to create a mechanism for collaboration between federal and Sindh governments in six areas for the betterment of Karachi. Government channels already exit to form coordination between the two sides, but it seems that Karachi has become a point scoring game in the name of development projects. This is the third time the three parties have met; these meetings are reportedly being held under the eyes of a senior member of the security establishment. Politics aside, poor governance and lack of administration’s will are the real problems of Karachi’s bad infrastructure. Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar has admitted that their party has serious political differences with the Sindh government “but we will work together with it for the development of the city which generates most of the revenue of the country”. The body’s mandate is to work on solid waste management, clean drinking water projects and anti-encroachment drive, infrastructure development, road construction and transport management in Karachi.

Karachi has long been mis-governed and every government feels it difficult to cleans its encroachment and improve civic infrastructure. The Sindh government has failed to clear the route of the Karachi Circular Railway, thanks to civil courts-related litigation by the encroachers. Similarly, illegal structures hamper the construction of projects like K-IV water project and Greater Karachi Sewerage Project S-III. All these projects are related to the provincial government, and it must be facilitated by the federal government and other institutions. The federal government can come up with its own list of development projects and the PPP government should not be reluctant to help the centre in such projects. The third important reality of the city – the MQM-P – which holds the control of the local government institutions must be helped to grow its finances and spend efficiently on the city. The municipalities do not collect enough taxes to run the city. It is the time citizens are taxed for cleaning and other works too. *