UNLIKE today, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) used to be a civic body that asserted itself with a great deal of authority whenever and wherever it felt that its position was being undermined.

Take the issue of water distribution in the city, for example, which created a big rift between the corporation and the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) in the month of June, 1966. The KDA thought that the KMC was not able to meet financial needs, therefore, was not fit to do the job of supplying water to the city. When the problem blew a little out of proportion, the federal government, as is often the case, had to intervene.

The power struggle between the two bodies lingered on for more than a month with some tiny twists and turns. On July 25, 1966 West Pakistan Minister for Basic Democracies M. Yasin Khan Wattoo held a press conference in Karachi. He said water distribution in the municipal limits would continue to be the KMC’s responsibility while the bulk supply would remain with the KDA. And the supply to societies and colonies outside the KMC limits would also be made by the KDA, the minister said. Obviously, the KMC had to comply.

But in another matter, the KMC put its foot down to have its say. It was to do with the transfer of a turtle from the famous Clifton aquarium to the Karachi zoo. On July 29, the corporation set aside the suggestion that the turtle should be shifted to the zoo. In a statement it described the suggestion as ‘absolutely impracticable’ because it was a seawater turtle and there was no arrangement for seawater in the zoo. Besides, the statement added, Karachi’s seashore was rich in a variety of the species. The turtle had all the facilities in the aquarium and was in perfect health, the corporation claimed.

It was a fair argument.

Who wouldn’t want the right kind of arrangements for any service to be operational? On July 26, a government spokesman told the media that as many as 300 telephone booths operated through coins were proposed to be installed during the current period. More than 100 public call offices were already working in hotels, restaurants, hospitals, post offices and clubs etc. Little did the spokesman know that smart phones in the 21st century would make the phrase ‘telephone booth’ sound as archaic as T-Rex!

But there are certain services that will take ages to become obsolete. Yes, the reference is to public transport vehicles. Now here is something pleasantly surprising. When was the last time you heard that the fee for any kind of service was reduced? Well, it happened on July 25, 1966 when following instructions of the city commissioner, Syed Darbar Ali Shah, who was also chairman of the Regional Transport Authority (RTA), bus owners reduced bus fares. It for sure would have helped the commuters a great deal.

Speaking of means of transport, on July 30, an aircraft designed by a Soviet constructor O Antonov for agricultural purposes was demonstrated at the Karachi Aero Club in front of a big crowd. The aircraft AH-2M had arrived from Russia to Pakistan through Afghanistan having covered a distance of 700 kilometres. Antonov had already designed the largest aircraft named Antej model AN22, which was demonstrated the previous year (1965) at the French aviation exhibition. Aero Club! Time and tide wait for none.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2016