Karachi - Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar on Sunday said he wanted to work with Sindh government, but added it was the duty of Sindh chief minister to sit with him for solving city problems. 

“Presently the biggest issue of Karachi is the sewerage system for which KWSB officials will be contacted. People should know how much money was received for such works. Funds amounting to Rs14 billion rupees and not Rs8 billion were released in 2016-17, but these were handed over to the former administrator and also covered salaries and pensions of the staff and non-development expenditures,” he said, and added whereas Rs4 billion were earmarked for development works. 

He expressed these views during his visit to district central where he had gone to check road carpeting and other uplift works in Hussainabad area along with MQM-Pakistan (MQM-P) chief Dr Farooq Sattar and others. 

MPA Mehfooz Yar Khan, DMC Central Chairman Rehan Hashmi, Works Committee Chairman Hassan Naqvi, Chairmen UC 32, 33, 34 and DG Works Shahab Anwer were also present on the occasion. 

“The schemes, which were launched by former administrators, are now being completed by us, and the current year’s budget was also prepared by us in which citizen’s schemes have also been incorporated,” Wasim said, and added, “Development works will continue despite limited resources.” 

Dr Farooq Sattar, while talking to media representatives on the occasion, said that there was no truth in these reports that the mayor, deputy mayor Karachi or district chairmen being removed from their posts. 

He said despite little resources or powers and without any support from the Sindh government, the mayor, deputy mayor and district chairmen have continued their welfare-oriented works with the cooperation of people. 

“We have a mechanism of reviewing the performance after every six months or a year and this is being done now to work out the strategy for future,” Sattar said, and added, “We have advised the elected local government representatives to make the sanitation system effective by utilising the available resources. Our first priority is lifting the garbage and then ensuring the supply of water and improvement in the drainage system as well as road infrastructure. 

He said that control of solid waste management board and water board was with the Sindh government. “But still we will remove as much garbage as we could from the city,” he said, and added, “We are speeding up the uplift works and focusing on basic issues.” 

Dr. Farooq Sattar and the Karachi mayor also met with the people during their visit and also drove the roller used for road carpeting. Later, Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar and MQM-Pakistan chief Dr Farooq Sattar visited Tahiri Masjid in Saddar on Sunday where they met with Dr Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, the 53rd spiritual leader of Dawoodi Bohra Community, and wished him a nice and comfortable stay in Pakistan. 

Talking to media representatives on this occasion, Sattar stressed the need for promoting Ittehad Bain-ul-Muslimeen, which he said was need of the hour. 

He said the arrival of Syedna was in fact a message of love and unity and all people should work for peace and harmony around the world. 

He stressed the need for showing mutual understanding and unity in the holy month of Muharram to prove that we are a peace-loving people and want progress and development of our city and the country. 

Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar, while talking to the leaders of Bohra community, said the community had played a key role in the development and progress of Karachi and they had always supported promotion of love and harmony among people. 

He said the development works, including road carpeting, installation of streetlights and cleanliness of the city had started in the city before the start of Muharram, and now these works were being completed rapidly so that the citizens could be saved from any inconvenience while performing their religious rituals. 

He said that currently the topmost priority was keeping the city clean and repair roads around the imambarghas and other locations of the city. 

Bohra community leaders thanked Dr Farooq Sattar and Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar for visiting the Tahiri Masjid.