KMC, DMCs want consultation if roads need to be dug up for underground cables

The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has decided to form a committee to look into the matters pertaining to different cables supposed to be laid underground throughout the city.

The committee, according to a statement released by the corporation, would include officials of the KMC as well as other stakeholders who would ensure that proper standard operating procedures (SOPs) were drafted, according to which work would be carried out.

The body would also make sure that there was a proper coordination between different governmental agencies in this regard. The statement also mentioned that elected representatives would be taken on board before starting the work.

This all was decided at a meeting held at the KMC office on Monday, which was presided over by KMC Metropolitan Commissioner Dr Syed Saifur Rehman. The meeting was also attended by District Municipal Corporation (DMC) Central Chairman Rehan Hashmi, DMC West Chairman Izhar Ahmed Khan, DMC East Chairman Moeed Anwar, DMC Malir Municipal Commissioner Safdar Ali and representatives of the DMC Korangi and the DMC South along with KMC Technical Director General Iqtedar Ahmed, KMC Coordination Senior Director Masood Alam and others.

The KMC municipal commissioner asked an official to seek a formal permission from Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar for the formation of the committee.

He said all the governmental agencies were on one page for the development of the city and a better coordination among all the departments was the need of the hour. It was said that if the elected representatives of the city were not taken on board before laying down the cables, and the work was carried out without taking the KMC in confidence, it would harm the city in long run.

As the project would require digging up roads constructed by the KMC and DMCs in their meager resources, Hashmi said the DMCs had constructed roads in their respective jurisdictions with their extremely limited resources. “We are with all those organisations which want to lay their cables underground, but they must not carry out their work without taking KMC and DMCs on board,” he pointed out and added that if they did this without consulting with the DMCs, the roads of the city would once again be damaged.

He said the city administration needed to come up with a long term plan for the city that should be implemented in a brief period of time.

“The utility agencies will come and dig the road. They will lay their cables underground but the people of those districts will question the elected representatives,” he said. Anwar said cables placed in a haphazard manner on poles of the city gave a bad impression. He added that he wanted such cables to be laid underground but the DMCs should be taken on board first.