KARACHI: Mayor of Karachi Waseem Akhtar launched a100-day cleanliness campaign here on Wednesday in an effort to rid the city of dirt and garbage that has become its infamous signature, officials said.

“As promised, we launched today the 100-day cleanliness drive in various parts of Karachi. I am thankful to the people belonging to various walks of life for extending support to us. A united effort to the cause will certainly bring improvement in the city’s hygiene and its dilapidated road infrastructure,” Mr Akhtar said while speaking to the media after kick-starting the drive in Shah Faisal Colony near Shama Shopping Centre.

He was accompanied by MNA Sanjay Barwani, MPA Nishat Zia Qadri, Aamir Moeen Pirzada, and DMC Korangi chairman Nayyar Raza. They joined the mayor with brooms in their hands to clean a street in the neighbourhood.

During the campaign, the mayor said, the condition of schools and dispensaries would also be improved in selected union councils with the provision of 1.2 million pure blocks for streets and 4,000 manhole covers and LED bulbs in four union councils of Korangi.

He said lawmakers of the National and the Sindh assemblies were also with him in this campaign.

“We will jointly take step forward for solving citizens’ problems and will leave it on the people to identify who wants to serve them and who don’t.”

He said people had elected him and other members of the city council through their votes and it was their duty to act in accordance with the public expectations. “It is our duty to provide all possible facilities to the citizens of Karachi.”

Mayor Akhtar said cleanliness and road repairs would be carried out on a priority basis during the drive. He appealed to the people, including the NGOs and philanthropists, to join hands with him to make the drive a success.

He said the powers of the local councils were virtually clipped in the existing law, yet, “we have come out on roads with good intentions and despite limited funds and resources we will succeed in our quest”.

Mr Akhtar said he was consulting with the leaderships of all political parties and so far he had met leaders of the Awami National Party, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Jamaat-i-Islami, and they had assured him of their full support.

“People cannot be made fools, we want to deliver but our hands are tied. This city feeds the whole country and its citizens haplessly see that no one is there to remove the garbage and give them a clean environment.”

He said the campaign had initially been launched in the districts of Karachi Central, East and Korangi, where the Muttahida Qaumi Movement runs the district municipal corporations. However, he added, similar campaigns and development projects would be initiated in the remaining three district of Karachi — South, West and Malir. “We are in consultation with the relevant district municipal administrations, and hopefully this drive will be extended to the remaining parts of the city very soon.”

Waseem visits JI office

Mr Akhtar visited the Jamaat-i-Islami’s Karachi office, Idara Noor-i-Haq, in the afternoon where he held a meeting with JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, Muzaffar Hashmi and Muslim Parvez.

He said anything that began with good intention got success. “We are reaching out to political parties to get them along in our endeavour to solve the city’s problems. We are requesting them to join hands with us and help us in this effort.”

He said he was meeting the parties that had elected representatives in the municipal councils and had passion to serve the city.

“I have also invited the JI leaders to help us in achieving our objective, which they have graciously accepted, for which I am grateful to them.”

He said Karachi had faced a lot of injustice in the past and its people and political parties were pitted against one another, yet people’s expectations could not be realised.

Naeem-ur-Rehman welcomed the mayor at the JI’s city headquarters and called it a good omen that Mr Akhtar had the spirit and passion for solving problems of Karachi. He promised the party’s full support and cooperation to the mayor.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2016