Millions of people dwelling in the metropolis seem confused in getting their civic issues resolved as the logos of defunct City District Government Karachi (CDGK) and the present commissionrate system do exist in official documents.
Besides, the new administration also did not bother to remove the nameplates and signboard identifying the jurisdictions in city’s five districts. Interestingly, the signboard, identifying nameplates are still in place on almost all the arteries of the city, Pakistan Today has learnt.
In July 2011, the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) revived the 150-year old commissionerate system in Sindh, the second most populous province of the country. This system was ceased to function 10 years back after the Sindh Local Government Ordinance (SLGO) 2011 was introduced.
The then Sindh’s acting governor Nisar Ahmed Khuhro had restored the commissionerate system and the Police Act by passing three ordinances on July 9 on the behest of federal government after the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) parted ways with the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf had terminated the Police Act of 1861 by an ordinance by restoring the Local Government Ordinance 2001. As a result, Karachi was given the status of city government while the number of districts in Sindh were increased.
According to the ordinance passed by Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, 22 district governments, 119 town and tehsil administrations and TMO’s of Sindh ceased to function. On the other hand, according to the old system, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation has been restored in Karachi and the district municipal corporation in other districts of Sindh.
With the restoration of old system, commissioners have been appointed in all the five divisions of Sindh, namely Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Sukkur and Larkana. Also deputy commissioners have been appointed in all the districts of Sindh and order to freeze funds and accounts of all districts have been issued.
When the commissionrate system was revived, the City District Government Karachi’s (CDGK) logo was removed from official documents after the notification of jurisdictions of Karachi’s five districts in order to ‘ensure effective administration and facilitation of the masses.
Meanwhile, the jurisdictions of the five old districts were determined in the first-ever meeting of newly-nominated Karachi Commissioner Mohammad Hussain Syed with Deputy Commissioners (DCs) of Karachi’s five districts and municipal services’ officials, sources in the commissioner office told Pakistan Today.
The District South of Karachi will consist of Saddar, Lyari and former Jamshed Town; District Central will include Liaquatabad, North Karachi, Gulberg and North Nazimabad; District Malir will comprise Malir, Gadap and areas under the Ghazi Brohi union council previously and Jafar-e-Tayyar Society; District East includes Shah Faisal, Landhi, Gulshan, Korangi and some parts of Malir while the District West will consist of areas of Baldia, SITE, Gadap and Orangi, the sources added.
Even after the passage of almost a year after revival of the commissionrate system, the CDGK logo is still the part of official work in the city administration, however, no authority was ready to correct it or get it removed, Pakistan Today learnt in a day-long visit to the KMC headquarters.
Interestingly, the logo of CDGK (defunct) is still in place at almost all the roundabout in the city leaving an impression that Nazim system is still there. Besides, the logo can been seen by anyone at all the 10-floor office of civic center, ambulances, water carriers of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board and fire brigades.
