Creation of district Keamari: Sindh government didn't take stakeholders into confidence: mayor

KARACHI: Mayor Karachi Wasim Akhtar on Sunday said that the PPP-led Sindh government did not take the relevant stakeholders of the city into confidence before the creation of district Keamari. "Neither District Chairman of West nor the area people were taken on board before bifurcation and creation of Keamari district. The people should be asked through referendum whether or not they want new district," said the Mayor while laying stone for development works of Rs200 million in Orangi Town.

PPP has only four UCs in district West. All areas that generate revenue have been included in District Keamari and this move of the PPP is aimed at getting monetary and political gains, he said. If the Sindh province is Motherland "Dharti Maa" of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) then entire Pakistan is our "Dharti Maa" and we would not allow division of it, Mayor said.

Flanked by Federal Minister Syed Ameen ul Huq, the Mayor was welcomed by the citizens. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan leader Shaikh Salah ud din, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation's Works Committee Hassan Naqvi, UC Chairmen, elected local government representatives and people in large number were also present on the occasion.

Akhtar said that the Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had accepted that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation could not carry out development works due to lack of power. "We would not have been in the people, if we didn't work for the people despite having power. The situation of Karachi might have been different had the KMC was given due powers," he added.

The Mayor said that the federal government had provided Rs one billion through which development works were carried out. He said that all revenue generating departments have been kept by the provincial government.

He was of the view that new provinces should be created as constitution duly permitted it. "Everybody knows what the PPP had done in 1971 but we won't let the history to be repeated. All stakeholders are taken on board in the democracy," he added.

Akhtar said that Karachi would be prosperous when there was empowered local government system. All civic departments have been kept by the Sindh government. He said that the people want Karachi to be a metropolitan city.

All schemes would be completed even after his tenure. He said that four schemes are initiated with the funds provided by the federal government including road construction from Shahrah-e-Orangi to Shahrah-e-Qaddafi. Before construction of the roads, sewerage lines would also be fixed and all these works would be completed within four months. Besides, he said, encroachment would also be removed.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020