Appointment of Wahab was nothing but a political agenda: Akhtar

Wahab’s appointment, according to Akhtar, was a result of the PPP’s political agenda. “He won’t be able to deliver without funds. Even Bilawal Bhutto Zardari cannot deliver without funds, he said.

Wahab, Akhtar said, was not only a political personality but he also did not have any experience of the local government. “I am personally not against him. Being the son of the city and being able to deliver are two different things.”

Unless the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) is empowered, the newly appointed administrator of Karachi is unlikely to deliver the greatest outcomes and performance.

Critics of the Sindh government’s decision, on the other hand, feel that Wahab’s appointment as KMC administrator would be just symbolic unless the government takes the bold decision of empowering the corporation.

Wasim Akhtar of the MQM-P, Karachi’s last elected mayor, and Barrister Murtaza Wahab of the PPP would not be held legally liable for the city’s waste, water, and sewage challenges, as none of these major municipal issues is under the KMC’s control.

Professor Dr. Noman Ahmed of NED University’s architecture and planning department believes Wahab’s nomination has raised unrealistic expectations.

The provinces were given autonomy in various areas after the 18th amendment, but they mainly failed to transmit powers to local governments.

Wahab will have no authority over functions that fall under the jurisdiction of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), master plan department, Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB), Lyari Development Authority (LDA), Malir Development Authority (MDA), Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB), and Sindh Sanitation Board if the situation remains unchanged.

The managing directors of the SSWMB and KWSB, as well as the director-general of the SBCA, are all within the jurisdiction of the local government ministry and are not answerable to the KMC.

Almost all of the company’s key revenue-generating functions have been devolved to district municipal governments.

The city’s seven DMCs are now in charge of the city’s billboards and advertisements, which were formerly the KMC’s main source of revenue. The corporation’s budget, according to Dr. Ahmed, is absurdly low. He claims it is even less expensive than the Malir Expressway budget.

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