By Ahsan Mughal
KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi chief Monem Zafar calls for greater financial and administrative authority for towns and union councils, citing gaps in water, sewerage and waste services despite multi-billion-rupee budgets.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi Ameer Monem Zafar has demanded an immediate grant of Rs5bn for each town and the transfer of full administrative and financial powers to grassroots local governments, as mandated under the constitution and the 18th amendment.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to New Karachi Town on Thursday, Zafar said local bodies were being forced to fill gaps left by provincial institutions. He said JI-run towns had resolved sewerage issues with limited funds, spending Rs2bn over the past two and a half years, while clean drinking water had been provided to 20,000 households in New Karachi Town alone — a responsibility of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC).
Zafar pointed to what he described as a mismatch between resources and outcomes, noting annual budgets of Rs47bn for KWSC, Rs43bn for the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board, Rs55bn for the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and more than Rs3,450bn for the Sindh government. Despite this, he said, basic urban problems remained unresolved.
He accused the Sindh government of retaining control over key civic institutions and failing to devolve powers to towns and union councils, leading to uncollected waste, open burning of garbage, environmental pollution and rising health risks. He also questioned progress on a $1.6bn, 12-year water and sewerage improvement plan launched in 2019, saying its impact was not visible across the city.
New Karachi Town chairman Muhammad Yousuf said 24 parks had been renovated so far, with 12 more to be completed by July 2026. He added that work was under way on two public schools to turn them into model institutions, two libraries were due for renovation by July, one dispensary had already been upgraded and youth centres would also be established.
Both leaders urged the government to release an immediate Rs5bn grant per town to sustain development work and ease pressure on residents.
