August 15, 2008	Friday	Sha'aban 12, 1429

KARACHI, Aug 14: More than 7,000 cards were issued to willing volunteers, including the city nazim, naib nazim, councillors, Karachi DCO and other CDGK officers, on the first day of the registration for “city owners” under the city government’s programme to mobilize the general public for the protection and maintenance of the city’s development and recreational projects.

Besides volunteering himself, City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal interviewed many of the willing volunteers.

According to a CDGK official, the process of the issuance of provisional cards started at 10am and ended at 7pm on Thursday.

It was observed that some leading industrialists and businessmen, office-bearers and members of the Pakistan Arts Council, senior police officials, vice-chancellor of a private university, sportsmen, artists, vendors and taxi drivers were among the card seekers.

Encouraged by the positive response to his scheme, the city nazim has set up a permanent registration office on the ground flour of the Civic Centre. The registration work will be done during office hours.

The city nazim was the first person to get himself registered. He was followed by Karachi DCO Javed Hanif.

According to CDGK officials, more than 4,000 temporary cards were issued to the applicants by 6pm. Permanent cards are planned to be issued after assessing the performance of the registered volunteers over the first three months.

Talking to newsmen after getting himself registered, City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal said: “I am moved to see so much enthusiasm shown by a cross section of society. This has encouraged us. This is a clear evidence of the fact that people still have the spirit of feeling responsibility and doing service. We cannot give a gift better than this (city owner card) to people on this Independence Day.”

He noted that people had overwhelmingly responded to the programme.

He said the city government had provided the metropolis an infrastructure by building flyovers and roads, laying water and sewage lines, planting trees and developing parks, and this was now the duty of Karachiites to protect all these facilities by spending at least two hours a week as volunteers to ensure that the infrastructure was not damaged.

“We can plant trees but cannot ensure their growth. We can build a modern bus stop but cannot place a guard to ensure that nobody spits there. It should be the responsibility of Karachiites to protect their properties and make use of such facilities like civilised citizens,” he observed.

He said that the cards were being issued to aspirants irrespective of their affiliation or status.

He said the programme would create a sense of ownership among citizens.—Agencies