KARACHI: The tug of war going on for ‘taking over’ the possession of the Civic Centre by the Karachi Development Authority staffers from the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation staffers finally came to the fore when the KMC administrator spoke openly about it at a function and called for a transition so that the matter could be resolved amicably.

The staffers of the recently restored KDA are ‘slowly and gradually taking over’ the Civic Centre, the original head office of the KDA before the civic agency was merged with the KMC and a new organisation, the City District Government Karachi (CDGK), was created during president general Pervez Musharraf’s government over 15 years ago, sources told Dawn.

They said the takeover started in the mid of June when senior director of KMC Nasir Abbas was given an additional charge of KDA director general by the Sindh government and he started sitting in the office in which the director general of KDA used to sit before the merger.

After the merger, and till the reoccupation by Mr Abbas in mid June, the KDA director general office had been used by the CDGK mayor and later by the KMC administrators.

The sources said that when administrator Laeeq Ahmed, just before coming to the office in the morning on the day when the incident happened in mid June, came to know that his office had been occupied by KDA director general Nasir Abbas, he rather than coming to his Civic Centre office and creating a scene, quietly started to use the administrator’s camp office, located behind the National Stadium.

The sources said that then after the transfer of KMC Metropolitan Commissioner Sami Siddiqui his office in the Civic Centre had also been taken over and now a nameplate of a KDA chief engineer was displaying on it.

Almost all offices of the KMC officers located on the floor on which administrator’s office is located have been taken over. The nameplate of KDA chairman has been put on the room that was used for the administrator’s guests.

Almost all the parking space used by the KMC officers in the parking lot near the administrator’s office has also been taken over and now is being used by KDA vehicles.

Finally speaking at a function of KMC officers association held recently, KMC administrator Laeeq Ahmed raised the issue by saying that “some KDA officers and staff members have adopted an improper behaviour and forcefully obtained different offices of the Civic Centre for their own use”.

He said he wanted to resolve all such issues legally and that was why no resistance had been put up by KMC staffers to this attitude of the KDA staffers.

He said that he had already requested the provincial government to declare a transition period.

He said that he hoped that a transition committee comprising ‘sensible people’ would be made after declaring the transition period, which could reinstate these two organisations (as KMC and KDA) as separate entities in a proper manner and without any conflict.

The sources said that earlier the KMC offices were located in the old KMC building on M. A. Jinnah Road and the Civic Centre exclusively belonged to the KDA, but after the merger, KMC / CDGK offices were moved to the Civic Centre and currently most of the Civic Centre housed the KMC offices, which might have to be relocated eventually.

However, till that time feelings are running high as KDA staffers are moving in to occupy the additional space and the KMC staffers are feeling uncertain about their offices, which they may lose.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2016