KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf central leader and MNA Dr Arif Alavi has called for giving powers to the elected representatives of local government bodies, saying that the mayor of Karachi is powerless while all powers lie with the minister of local bodies.

The PTI leader was addressing a press conference along with representatives of Sindh Abadgar Action Committee Abdul Majeed, Zubair Talpur and others at his residence here on Sunday.

He said Karachi had turned into a city of garbage dumps because of mismanagement and want of vision despite a budget of Rs1,190 million for the Karachi local government. He advised the Sindh government to withdraw subsidy on export of sugar and ensure due rates for sugar cane to cultivators. He criticised the alleged government policy of depriving poor cultivators from the real price of their crops and extending privileges to owners of sugar mills.

The largest source of income of the local government was from billboards and advertisings, which amounts in trillion of rupees, but this right was no being given to Karachi, he added.

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2016