City Government
In theory we have city governments, fallacy is the practice as they have no real powers, their only role restricted to ceremonial window dressing, the real authority being wielded by bureaucrats appointed by the Provincial Governments. While we hold out for democracy in every form, the negation of that at the basic urban level is a great incongruity that needs to be urgently resolved. If we are to come to grips with the problems besetting the common citizen, then we must allow their duly elected representatives to take decisions at their own level concerning their welfare rather than it should be imposed upon them by proxy, the same fiat that has been bestowed by the people at the Federal and Provincial level needs to be exercised without restraint at the grass-roots.
What are the problems of the masses pertaining to civic life? These include housing, transportation, communications, energy, food, education, health and hygiene, supply of potable water, an adequate sewage system and maintenance of law and order. In the same manner that a central cabinet is formed or a provincial cabinet, cities and towns must have their own mini-government. Because of the horrendous situation in Karachi, we can use this city as a role model to document and analyse the various problems, before suggesting comprehensive measures designed to alleviate the miseries of the city’s populace.
Town planning in this day and age has become a fine art, in respect of the city of Karachi it has been practiced as more of an abstract mosaic with after-thoughts galore. In the early years of development after 1947, the growth was adequately planned and steady, managing to cater for the large influx of our Mohajir brethren. Even townships like Korangi, which were created overnight by FM Ayub’s first martial law government (more particularly Gen Azam Khan) fulfilled on a temporary basis the need for urgent housing. At maximum these housing developments were designed to close the housing gap for a decade or so, not to last three decades let alone as a permanent fixture, with no substitute in sight. The city’s planners did not take into account the boom years of the early 70s when there was large mushroom growth without any check, particularly the concentration of many industries and thus job-opportunities, just providing accommodation for the white and blue collar workers does not solve problems, indeed it has exacerbated them because no attention was paid to the other needs of the residents like electricity, water, gas, transportation, etc. The blame for this is directly attributable to Karachi Development Authority (KDA) whose then leadership had moronic tendencies vis-a-vis town planning and it is their criminal action (or neglect) that is responsible for the abominable situation in Karachi today. There is no question that the gentlemen (??) who had the executive control of KDA in the 70s and 80s were thoroughly corrupt and incompetent, there is no other reason for the criminal (and quite deliberate) neglect of planned responsible growth. Apartment buildings were allowed to be built in clear contravention of building laws, almost none of these buildings had basic features of parking space, fire safety and security, play-grounds for children, etc. The buildings were seldom well-ventilated or had rooms of the proper size keeping in view the hot and humid climate. There was no coordination with the departments controlling water, electricity, sewage and garbage disposal, gas, education, etc at all, building permits were given (and are still given) in isolation of the availability or otherwise of these basic civic facilities.
The city of Karachi is in population and size bigger than many of the nations of the world, so do most of our bigger cities like Lahore, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Hyderabad, etc. It is high time that we identified all cities having population in excess of 1 million and turned them into metropolitan governments having as the elected head (by universal franchise) a Mayor, who in the case of the bigger cities such as Karachi, Hyderabad, Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Peshawar and Quetta can be called Lieutenant Governors.
All departments directly concerned with the city must then come under the administration of the elected head, in the case of Karachi as discussed earlier, a Lieutenant Governor. These include police services, housing, education, health, transportation, electricity, water, sewerage, roads, public parks, etc. A city of 9 million like Karachi would be divided into three zones, each of approximate population of 3 million, each zone further sub-divided into districts of 1 million each. Each zone must have its own elected Mayor, i.e. there should be at least 3 mayors in Karachi, it is too much to except one individual to look after the basic civic interests of 9 million people at the functional level. (Each zone must be divided into 3 districts of 1 million people approximately, the actual sizes having some geographical relevance. Each district can then be divided into 3 sub-divisions and each sub-division may have 9 Precincts, i.e approximately 30-40,000 people in any one Precinct. Each Precinct must have a police station, a court, land and citizen registration office, polyclinic, etc in fact all the representatives of the departments at the city level with executive control at the sub-division level, so that the common citizen for day-to-day problems may go only to the Precinct, beyond it for reasons other than normal. Each Precinct must have all the sections computerised with excellent internal/external communication on telephone and radio including fax service. All these autonomous units must function according to the constitution and the policies of the Province and Federal Governments. The Lieutenant Governor of Karachi must have the following departments headed by elected representatives chosen by him for his “cabinet” (1) finance (2) internal security (3) housing and public works (4) transportation (5) energy (6) water and sewerage (7) education (8) health & environment (9) communications (10) coordination and welfare. Other departments may be dovetailed or added as required. The elected representatives or Councillors heading these departments must be called Commissioners, e.g all education facilities must be the responsibility of the Commissioner for Education.
At this point of time we have a Mayor elected who has no powers, all real authority vesting in the Chief Officer appointed by the Provincial Administration. True, the Mayor is nominally the Chairman KWSB, but in actual fact he has no control over the water supply, whereas in the case of energy KESC is controlled by WAPDA. The KDA is a law into itself answering directly to the Provincial Minister concerned or even the Chief Minister. What does the Mayor of Karachi control, a gang of garbage collectors but not even the city dump, if they can find it that is? We talk so much about control being in the hands of the peoples’ representatives, about democracy being in action, yet at the grass roots level everything is dependent upon remote control.
This is no way to run any city. We have repeatedly heard expert opinion, most of it given by blue-ribboned commissions staffed by present and former bureaucrats, about the problems of Karachi, yet we tend to gloss over the basic incongruity, the people have no power over their welfare and have to depend upon others who may not have the foggiest idea about the local situation not having visited the place, how can one expect them to make the decisions about local problems?
Power must be fully transferred to the people and democracy enjoins that devolution starts at the basic levels. If the fear is that our Mohajir brethren will have sway over the city of Karachi, then so be it, it is their God-given right according to the norms of democracy (and for that matter, Islam). One of the reasons that Karachi is not aflame is the discipline exercised by the MQM over their cohorts, this needs to be translated into effective government for the people of Karachi, only by giving people the responsibilities of solving their own problems is there going to be true understanding and alleviation of the city problems. We talk loftily of the principles of democracy, in Karachi we find it expedient not to give the authority to the elected representative of the masses of the city, the MQM.
City Government is the need of the hour, the sooner we practice it in actual fact, the better will be the future of our children.
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