Waseem Akhtar demands ‘past-like’ authority for KMC

KARACHI: Mayor Karachi Waseem Akhtar on Wednesday said the Karachi Metropolitan Authority (KMC) should have the authority that it had in the past, ARY News reported.

Talking to media here, Akhtar said the KMC made a significant move by remove encroachments from Karachi’s different places.

He said the Sindh government project for restoration of Karachi Zoo should have been completed by now. “The government contractor involved in the restoration work told us the funds are being released at a snail’s pace,” he added.

Read: Mayor Karachi Waseem Akhtar vows to renovate parks in city

Waseem Akhtar said the elections of civic bodies should not be held if the government refrained from granting powers to KMC officials. “I will also request the Supreme Court in this regard,” said the mayor.

He insisted that an alternative place for Lee Market shopkeepers would be allocated very soon.

To a question, Akhtar said he wasn’t a ‘soothsayer’ to confirm whether he would be going to jail in future. “If somebody has any complaint against me, then they should question me.”

He called upon the provincial government to pay heed to the dismal condition of public sector hospitals to improve their condition.

Two days ago, Waseem Akhtar had vowed to touch up different parks across the metropolis, ARY News reported.

“We are working on Hill Park, while parks of different union councils will also be enhanced,” Waseem Akhtar had said adding that the local government would soon open Jheel Park after renovation.

He said the local government was also animating Karachi Zoo as well as the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation. Dr Ruth Pfau Hospital had already been renovated, he added.