Local Government Ordinance restricts powers of Nazim on law and order: Naimat

City Nazim Naimatullah Khan said on Saturday that Local Government Ordinance 2001 has restricted the Nazim of local government authority in the matter of law and order, however, local bureaucracy is co-operating in different matters.
He stated this while addressing the participants of 17th-Advanced Course in Public Sector Management at National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA). He briefly detailed the works carried out by the current local government in Karachi.
City Nazim informed that City District Government Karachi initiated the tenders for circular railway Karachi in which a number of foreign firms participated including firms from Malaysia, United States, etc.
He said that it is myth that Karachi is city of rich citizens. In fact there are 538 Katchi Abadies in Karachi in which 50 percent of the population reside, therefore, Karachi is a city of lower middle class dwellers.
He appreciated the serious attention and consideration of President Pervez Musharraf, who according to him praised his services and had asked various government agencies to co-operate with City Nazim.
"There is no single government in Karachi but rather a number of agencies and mafias working in city including transport mafia and water mafia etc," he added.
He said "he presented first budget in 2002 of Rs 20.5 billion and budget of Rs 27 billion for the year 2003," and added that with the abolishing of octroi, an equivalent amount was awarded to CDGK without 15 percent annual increase.
"There is no Karachi Master Plan, Solid Waste Management and Garbage Disposal and Mass Transit System in Karachi", he informed and added that he has implemented Urban Transport Scheme (UTS) including large CNG buses and facing transport mafia bravely.
"Since 56 years of our existence, no one thought of desalination of ocean water for its use as alternate of fresh water," he observed adding that sewerage water from industries would be treated whereas the project for urban transport like Karachi Lyrai Expressway and Northern Bypass are in process.
He informed that Karachi Port Trust (KPT), Pakistan Railways, Port Qasim and Pakistan Steel Mill have encroached the land of Karachi but President Pervez Musharraf has supported his idea to force them to pay for the damage and infrastructure to improve roads.
Badarul Islam, Director General NIPA Karachi also spoke on the occasion.