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News tickers at different channels have started appearing that pillion riding has been banned in Karachi. Also, public and private school and colleges will also remain closed.

It is being reported from various parts of Karachi that there are wide spread riots in the city, as of last count Dawn has reported that there are eight people dead and over 77 injured.

Areas affected were Orangi Town, Banaras, Orangi Town, Quaidabad, North Karachi and Nazimabad. The resulting panic led to traffic jams in different parts of the city

In Nazimabad area, miscreants forced shopkeepers to close down markets whereas rumours led shopkeepers in Light House, Zainab Market and Jama Cloth Market to close up. While the Pakistan Rangers have dispatched 45 mobiles to different troubled areas, while the city police is operating on an emergency basis.

In a high level meeting with the ruling coalition running the province has issued strict shoot-to-kill orders to the police force. At the same time its ironic to note that with chaos in the city the electronic media has maintained a strange silence, except a few scarce reports, probably coaxed into submission ‘for the benefit of the country’ Karachi Stay Safe Follow twitter hashtag #Karachi for the latest updates

 There are reports of heavy exchange of firing between two groups at Soharaab Goth and a bomb blast on a pushcart near Bakra Mundi. Reports of unrest and violence in different parts of the city. Shops and markets are reported to have been closed in Aziz Abad, Gulburg, parts of Gulshan-e-Iqbal (near Abul Hasan Asphani Road) are reported to have been closed earlier then usual. While since 12:30 am we have been hearing heavy firing with intervals coming from a distance here in Gulshan-e-Iqbal.

What’s surprises me is that none of the local news channels are reporting any of it.

If we recall that last month there were countrywide protests against the rising cost of electricity which ultimately resulted in an announcement by the Federal Govt to reduce the tariff, instructing all consumers to deposit 60% of the bill for the month of October. It seems that KESC has this month included the arrears of 40 per cent back again in this months electricity bills. Your comments and reaction to this reversal in decision in light of the crushing economy

Read more: The Nation

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Hear ye Hear ye good denizens of the marvelous place known as Karachi.  The government in its utmost genorosity has deemed that we have to pay Rs 10 less per litre for petrol from 12am Nov 16th. The new prices of petrol and diesel have fallen now to 66.66 from 76.66 and Diesel 61.14 from 64.14 respectively.

This is great news not only for the people who were overburdened by the rising petrol cost but specially for the lower income classes of the city which will now have their bus fares slashed down due to the falling diesel price.

Although Ogra (i think Ogre is more appropriate) have managed this great feat today, its been a long time coming as the price of crude oil has been down to 53USD a barrel from 140USD for some time now. Still “der aye par durust aye”

I sincerely hope that the roads of this city of lights will be full of cars at night again as it has been looking like a ghost town after 10pm for too long :)

Now if we could get 5500MW from somewhere we seriously have a shot of turning this back into the awesome place it was some years ago.

The All Karachi Plastic Bags Manufacturers and Dealers Association has demanded of the authorities to lift the ban on manufacturing and sale of polythene bags, saying that the ban was resulting in joblessness and closure of businesses in the province.

Source : The News

Karachi’s young and energetic Mustafa Kamal, the mayor is chosen by an award winning American magazine Foreign Policy as 2nd best mayor in the world for year 2008.

From DAWN:
“An award winning American magazine Foreign Policy, has chosen Nazim Karachi, Syed Mustafa Kamal as second among the three best mayors in the world for the year 2008.

The magazine has included the names of Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit and Wang Hongju, Mayor of Chongqing as the other mayors of the moment, said a CDGK statement issued on Sunday.
The magazine said no city globalises on its own, but with shrewd investments and smart urban planning, a mayor can help turn a regional player into a global powerhouse. About Mustafa Kamal the magazine wrote that the mayor of Karachi is an unlikely poster child for innovative urban planning.
It said the 36-year-old Mustafa Kamal governs a city that’s more often in the news for religious violence than cosmopolitan ways. But the hard-charging Kamal is looking to change all that. He’s courting foreign investment, encouraging international ties, and boosting the city’s tourism.
According to the US magazine Kamal is not shy about his goals: He has said he wants to turn Karachi into the next Dubai. His Green Karachi project aims to plant thousands of trees in the city. Kamal is not letting anything stand in the way of his grand plans. He has threatened to arrest anyone who tries to cut down the new saplings, it added.
In a statement, the Nazim said that in the past there was no concept of ownership in Karachi. He said his administration carried out development works on a large scale, but added that lot of work still remains to be done.”

Source : http://www.dawn.com/2008/11/10/top11.htm

Cowasjee narrates his versioin of the (in)famous Zardari signature story at Mazar-e-Quaid. Simply love his last line. We shall now have a spelling-minister.  “Now, back to this September 12 when I went to the Mazar and asked the keepers to let me have photocopies of what had been written by the September 11 visiting ‘dignitaries’ in the visitors’ book. I was given copies of remarks recorded by the president, the Sindh governor and the Sindh chief minister. Subsequently, on September 14, I wrote in my column: Read more

According to this news report gov. has approved 51 projects including the KCR. This project is pending for last 30+ years now and before we see it on ground GOD knows how many more years the public in karachi will suffer. “The KCR project is expected to be executed in three years at a cost of Rs52.372 billion with a foreign component of Rs39.257 billion. The 50 km railway project will have 21 underpasses and overhead bridges and 23 stations in the city. The Circular Railway would carry 700,000 passengers daily through 246 trains.”

Other : urbanpk

Image : Adnan Zafar