City Council warns against holding LG polls without devolving powers

The City Council of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) on Monday passed a unanimous resolution that demanded empowerment of the elected representatives of the local bodies in order to strengthen the local government system.

The resolution was tabled by Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar and it was supported by all the parties in the council, including the Pakistan Peoples Party. The resolution stated that the next local government elections be better not held if the local bodies were to remain deprived of powers and resources.

SC ruling sought

The City Council met at the old building of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation with the mayor in chair and passed a total of 23 resolutions. The mayor presented another resolution which asked the Supreme Court to decide on a petition submitted by him seeking more powers for the local bodies.

That resolution was also passed unanimously in which it was also demanded that the Article 140(a) of the constitution be implemented in full letter and spirit. The resolution requested the SC to pass a judgment regarding the financial and political powers of the local bodies which work at grass-roots level.

The petition regarding empowerment of local bodies was filed by Akhtar in 2017 and the judgment on it is awaited.

Dog bite cases

The City Council also expressed concerns over the rise in dog bite cases in the city. The mayor informed the council that around 100 to 150 dog bite cases are being reported daily in Karachi, and the issue has turned serious as the rabies vaccine was no more available at the hospitals.

The council passed a resolution to draw attention of all the relevant authorities towards the increase in stray dogs and dog bite cases in the city.

The resolution stated that due to stray dogs in the city, people had started to feel unsafe while walking in the city and those dogs especially posed a threat to children who were most vulnerable to the animals. Akhtar lamented that no vaccine for rabies was available at the hospitals. He appealed to the Sindh government to take emergency measures in this regard and provide vaccine to the hospitals.

According to Akhtar, the presence of heaps of garbage and debris across the city was the reason behind the rise in the number of stray dogs as they provided food and shelter to the canines.

The mayor said he did not have enough resources to deal with increasing stray dogs in the city. He also pointed out that the number of kites in the city was on the rise, which posed a danger to the aeroplanes arriving in and departing from the city.

Development funds

The City Council also discussed matters pertaining to development funds and financial resources. Commenting on the National Finance Commission award, the mayor said the Sindh government should get its just share in the award. He claimed that he had also raised the issue with the federal government authorities.

Akhtar said the Rs162 billion development package for Karachi recently announced by Prime Minister Imran Khan was not enough and it would not materialise without taking the provincial government on board.

The package can produce positive results for the city with the support of the Sindh government, the mayor said. He added that all the stakeholders should leave aside their differences for the the city and work jointly for its development.

Referring to Bagh Ibne Qasim, the mayor said Rs60 million were annually released for the park only on paper. The ruined park was restored to its original position after great efforts, he said.

Junaid Mukati of the Jamaat-e-Islami said Karachi provided Rs4 trillion tax to the country yearly but was still deprived of basic civic facilities. He demanded that the city be given a package of Rs500 billion. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Meraj Shah Jilani said he supported the mayor in his demand for powers and his petition for that with the apex court.