KARACHI: In a veiled complaint about his lack of authority over administrative control of the city, Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab Siddiqi on Tuesday said the elected local government of the metropolis did not have any say in several key areas and it controlled only 27.4pc per cent of city’s land.

Barrister Wahab was quite vocal while talking to a delegation of police officers consisting of the participants of the 50th Specialised Training Programme and 26th Initial Command Course.

“The biggest problem of Karachi is political grudges. If you try to fix things, the mafias emerge as major hurdles. The problems cannot be solved until things are brought under the rule and law,” he said, adding: “The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has only 27.4 per cent land control in the city. The mayor has no direct administrative relationship with other land controlling authorities.”

He also wondered why the Sindh government had no representation in the institutions like the K-Electric and Sui Southern Gas Company despite the fact that Karachi generated 60 per cent of the national revenue.

He also accused the bureaucracy of putting hurdles in smooth functioning of the governance, pitting institutions against each other.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2023