KARACHI: The opposition in the City Council on Tuesday presented a “charge sheet” against the leadership of key city institutions, including the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) and Karachi Water and Sewage Corporation (KWSC), accusing them of corruption, nepotism and biases.

Leader of the Opposition in the City Council Advocate Saifuddin, along with others, told a press conference at the KMC headquarters that despite spending billions of rupees, the situation in Karachi continues to worsen.

Due to the poor performance of the Sindh government, KMC, and other institutions, the lives of Karachi’s citizens have become miserable, they said.

Advocate Saifuddin said: “Corruption and irregularities in contracts have become talk of the town. Although approval for development works must be obtained from the Council, none has been granted.

“Billions of rupees worth of contracts were awarded without any tenders to favoured contractors, and most of the work done at these sites became useless within days.”

The opposition leader mentioned that KMC had signed loan agreements for development work worth US $240 million, and the KWSC signed agreements for Us $1.6 billion. He questioned whether this money would go toward development or “be pocketed by favoured contractors and officials.”

“The people of Karachi will have to bear the burden of these massive sums in the form of taxes,” he said and also criticised the SSWMB, calling it a “failed institution”.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2024