KARACHI: CM voices unequivocal support to city govt
By Habib Khan Ghori
KARACHI, Aug 21: Sindh Chief Minister Sardar Ali Muhammad Mahar has voiced his unequivocal support to the city government and city Nazim Naimatullah Khan.
“Not only there is no confrontation between the provincial and city governments, but we have been maintaining good relationship and it is my earnest desire that the ties boost further,” Mr Mahar said while addressing the City Council on Thursday.
He is the first elected chief minister to address the elected house of the country’s biggest city. Mr Mahar was given a rousing welcome and standing ovation when he, along with Naimatullah Khan, entered the City Council hall at the formerly KMC Building amid thumping of desk by the cheering members.
He declared that being the chief minister of Sindh, he considered development and progress of Karachi as his duty because the city is the provincial capital.
Lauding the two years performance of the city district government, he recalled that President Musharraf had reposed confidence in the leadership of Naimatullah Khan. The CM said that despite a delay in making the devolution system functional and in spite of the fact that its benefits were yet to reach the common man, the city district government had succeeded in making people realize the merits of the local government within a short period of two years.
Mr Mahar particularly mentioned the 10-day cleanliness and sanitation campaign and said that the city government had not only accomplished the task very efficiently, but also set an example for others to follow.
“The CDGK has proved that biggest challenge could be met with courage if the leadership is sincere and honest,” he remarked.
During his speech, the chief minister made a formal announcement of the approval of monthly honoraria for the members of the City Council. The members warmly welcomed the announcement by thumping desks.
The CM declared that the decision would be applicable in the whole of Sindh provided that the honoraria was paid by the respective council from its own budget.
He said that after assuming the office of the CM, he paid full attention to the reconstruction and development projects. While a lot of projects pertained to the rural areas, a large number of them were meant for urban areas also with Karachi being focus of his priorities.
Highlighting the importance of Sindh’s culture and history as well as great saints and sufis, he declared that the province was land of love and peace. He said all the people, of rural as well as urban areas, together would lead Karachi, Sindh and Pakistan to the path of progress and prosperity.
He acknowledged the colossal losses suffered by the province due to recent devastating rains and floods and expressed his confidence that the losses would be compensated as the federal, provincial and district governments were not oblivious of their responsibilities.
He pointed out that the relief committees were operating in the affected areas and said that he had directed the city government to investigate the reported cracks in certain bridges and flyovers in Karachi during the rains. The city government has also been asked to look into the complaints about traffic jams and fixed responsibility.
Earlier, Naimatullah Khan in his welcome address highlighted the problems being faced by the city government and said that Karachi is not only the biggest city of the country, but also the most important one where people from every noon and corner of each province reside and come in search of jobs and business.
He said that over 70 per cent of the country’s industries are based in Karachi. If this status of Karachi suffered any shock, the country may face serious problems, he cautioned.
The city Nazim presented a comparison of the conditions in the city two years back and the improved conditions today. He admitted that not all the problems had been solved, but paid tribute to all the members of the city council who, he acknowledged, had demonstrated courage and undertook uphill tasks in their respective areas to transform the violence-hit and problem-ridden city into a peaceful and live one. He said that the council members put in big efforts to resolve Karachiites’ grievances and came up to the expectations of their electorates. He pointed out that most of the members came from the lower and middle class and worked day and night to restore the city’s glory and extended full cooperation in development work.
He said that while the city government had set an example by completing several mega projects within the stipulated time, it had also extended every possible assistance to union councils and towns. During the last year, the city government had given a grant of Rs3.5 million to each of the union councils and the amount had been increased to Rs6.4 million this years. This, he said, would put Karachi on the road to progress and prosperity.
He recalled that the recent unprecedented rains had decimated the development work carried out by the city government. Roads, sewerage lines, water lines, storm water drains and other infrastructure suffered heavy damage and the city needed a massive repair work.
