Gilani says local govts illegal, unconstitutional

ISLAMABAD: Defending the provinces’ demand for wrapping up the local governments, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Friday that the decision to replace the 150-year-old magistracy system with the local bodies was ‘illegal and unconstitutional’. ‘Former president Pervez Musharraf’s decision to make local governments a federal subject under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution was illegal and undemocratic,’ he told reporters after attending a function at the ministry of science and technology…

…The five-year tenure of the local government will expire in October and there is a strong possibility that no more LG polls will be held and the old magistracy system will come back…

…The government, he said, was taking tough and unpopular decisions to save the country from difficult situation. ‘I would not say that the government is taking popular decisions. We have to put the country on right track. We are democratic people. We have faced imprisonment not for becoming the prime minister but for the rights of the people,’ he said.

read full news story here…

It seems like we are headed back to the old draconian system of having magisterial fiefdoms. Whereas the local government gives us the advantage of choosing representatives from our own area, the magistracy system is based on having somebody appointed over you who may not even be from your area. He will not be sincere to the region, will not know its problems well, and will have a tendency to rule with an upper hand like his personal jagir – which basically gives him power over anyone else – to use and abuse as he likes without question.

Which system do you prefer? I personally have a clear preference for the local governments system; primarily because its more democratic, more modern, ensures that the person running your government is answerable to you rather than being your boss, and because it gets results. The magistracy system leads nowhere. What do you have to say? Let your voices be heard – because YOU should make such key decisions in a real democracy.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

]]> http://karachi.metblogs.com/2009/07/11/nazims-or-magistrates/feed/ 64 http://karachi.metblogs.com/2009/07/05/irregularities-around-the-city/ http://karachi.metblogs.com/2009/07/05/irregularities-around-the-city/#comments Sun, 05 Jul 2009 10:14:41 +0000 SwERveUT http://karachi.metblogs.com/?p=6910 I am starting a new series where I will post things that we spot on a day to day basis, that dont seem right. A lot of people see things that should not be happening but we usually end up turning our eyes away from it. In order to improve the country, it is important that we keep an eye out for people who seem to be breaking the law and using unfair methods. If we keep highlighting these things in the media then the authorities are forced to look at correcting themselves. If we turn a blind eye, we give more freedom for corruption to flourish.

With this series, I will provide a platform for you to help change things in Karachi for the better. In the rapidly upcoming tradition of citizen journalism, I will keep this series open to everyone. Since it is our responsibility to make our city a better place, you can go do your own reporting and send me your photos/videos. I will publish a good selection every week for the benefit of the readers (Submission guidelines are at the end of the post).

TODAY’s SELECTION:

Ibex being transported

I saw this stuffed Ibex being transported to somebody’s house near Khyaban-e-Ittehad a few days ago. I am not sure if these animals have a protected or endangered status within Pakistan. If it is, than this guy was clearly doing illegal stuff.

Next item:

Police high-handedness?

These policemen drove up on their bike all of a sudden, snatched the weighing scales of these two poor fruit peddlars, and rode off. The fruit peddlers tried to argue, but seemed more shocked at what had happened. Would this be a case of high handedness by the police towards the poorer members of society? I believe the fruit peddlers had a right to be warned first if they were doing something illegal, rather than just being snatched off of their hard-earned possessions.

GUIDELINES FOR YOUR OWN SUBMISSIONS:

1) It has to be YOUR OWN STORY!  No news from other sources allowed. Only original items will be published.

2) Take pictures, they tell it better. Videos are okay too. Try to reduce the file size as much as you can.

3) Send it to swerveut@yahoo.com

4) If you want to keep yourself anonymous, just ask me.

Lets make our city a better place. Cheers!

Spotted near Jinnah Bridge yesterday

A few weeks ago, I also saw a car with the number plate saying Benazir. It also had blackened windows.

Excellent strategy to make sure you are never stopped by the police!  Take lesson folks.

You gotta admit. Karachi has been transformed over the past six years. I remember Karachi in 2001 when I left for my hiatus abroad. It used to be a stinking nightmare. Buses, rickshaws and cars honked with frustration in long queues of traffic jams. Pollution hung like a pall in the sky with barely any vegetation in the city. Roads were broken and potholed in all areas. Curbs and footpaths were non-existent or left in ruins. Sewerage water overflowed in a majority of the neighbourhoods. Water was in short supply and tankers used to ply everywhere. Just thinking of those frustrating times is enough to give one a headache.

Contrast that image to now. Traffic flows freely in most areas thanks to signal-free corridors. A lot of major arteries of the city have been re-carpeted… something that had not been carried out in the city for decades. Most of the roads and streets look defined now, with properly constructed curbsides and footpaths. The sewerage system of the city has been fixed in a majority of areas and you dont find overflowing gutters everywhere anymore. A lot of trees have been planted in the city and amenity plots that used to be garbage dumps have been converted into parks. The credit for this vision and for the transformation of this city from an urban disaster to a strident megapolis can largely go to one man: Mustafa Kamal.

A park in Gulshan that once used to be a wasteland

And this was no small work. Karachi had been a neglected city for decades. I remember road carpeting once being carried out when I was a small kid during the days of Zia-ul-Haq, but the subsequent democratic governments of Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto made sure that they did not invest a single penny into the largest city of the country. It was shamefully neglected for a long period of time. Nevertheless, people still came to this city from all parts of Pakistan to make money (being the economic factory that Karachi is). By the time the Musharraf government came to power the city’s infrastructure was crumbling apart under the tremendous strain of its population.

An earlier Nazim (was it Naimatullah?) was elected under the local governments system who did start some repair work for the city, however for the majority of the work that has been done for the city the credit solidly rests on Mustafa Kamal. In the effort to transform this city into a habitable and more contemporary metropolis, Mustafa has shown great vision which most others would have been lacking. And he seems to have his working ethic in the right place. Actually doing something makes you more deserving of credit than merely talking about it and he has really done something for this city.

If I start counting all the improvements that have been made over the past years of his government, I could use up a whole page. However merely a drive down some older localities gives you an idea of the tremendous improvement that can be observed in the city’s built environment. The PECHS to NIPA area once used to be an eyesore. Now the University Road is en route to becoming a beautiful signal free corridor with trees planted on both sides. Land values in the area are also becoming much better. Clifton Kothari Parade used to be Funland, and drug-addict-land surrounded by a barren desert. Now it proudly boasts one of the most historic achievements of Mustafa Kamal – the Bin Qasim park, which will be an iconic park for Karachi for generations.  Sewerage lines of the city, laid down in the British times have been completely re-constructed. I. I. Chundrigar road and countless other roads in the city have been repaired. A traffic video monitoring system is now in place. In short, so much work has been carried out in a few years that the city is on its way to making amends for all the neglect that came its way in the previous years.

What is the point behind this post? Very simple. We in this country are quick to point fingers and take away credit. Appreciation, however, is a little hard to come by. A lot of people commenting on this post will also be wagging their heads in the negative, putting forward one conspiracy theory over the other. But the facts speak for themselves. The city is now on the path to progress and the change over the last few years has been significant. If countries abroad can be more forward than us in naming Mustafa Kamal as an exemplary mayor and nominating Karachi as an exemplary city, why should we shy away from some due appreciation? Bravo Mr. Nazim!

I happen to live on the top floor of my house and I have been noticing that my floor gets much warmer than the lower floors during the daytime. Even at night, the heat does not abate to comfortable levels as the roof radiates all the sun’s energy it absorbed during the day. If you are a resident of the top floor of your house / apartment, you would also have noticed that your home often gets too warm for comfort as your rooftop gets baked to oven hot temperatures every day. You would have been getting high electricity bills as your airconditioner works overtime in order to pump all the extra heat out. But is there any solution to this problem?

How much sun does it take to bake your roof?

There are different insulation materials available on the market these days which can help to insulate your roof from the scorching sun. Most products being offered by foam manufacturing companies utilize the application of polyurethane/polystyrene foam in the form of a spray-on application or pre-manufactured boards.  These foams are costly however — around Rs. 35 per sq ft, and you need to overlay them with a cover of mortar or cement  in order to protect the foams themselves from the sun. Then afterwards, utilization of your roof also gets reduced due to the fact that the foam cannot support great loads. This sounded incredibly cumbersome, expensive and inefficient to me. Do you really need to do so much on your roof to keep it cool?

I began experimenting with different ideas. The objective was to cool the roof cheaply and in an efficient way without using any cement or second roofing which would have been labour intensive and cumbersome to carry out. How could I effectively shade my roof from the heat of the sun? First trial was with pottery. A few hundered small earthen gamlas were bought which I placed inverted on my roof. This cost about Rs. 15-20 per sq ft… much lesser than the foam insulation, and no overlay of cement required. How would they work? The sun would fall on the gamlas instead of my roof, which would stay shaded underneath with an insulating region of air in between the two surfaces.

Insulation with pottery

How did it work? Well, my roof was cooler then it was without anything on it. However it still seemed inefficient. The coverage of the gamlas was not very good since they were round in shape, and left gaps in between where the sun could still scorch. And once they themselves got heated, they slowly started transferring the heat to the roof. Moreover, a tremendous amount of dust and dirt accumulated underneath them and around them in a few seasons. A large portion of my roof also became inaccessible because of coverage with gamlas.  Another disadvantage of this method was the difficutly in buying such a large number of pots and transporting and positioning them on the roof. A pretty labour intensive job. So this method mostly failed. Something even simpler was the need of the hour.

After a little brainstorming, I hit on just the right idea — something so simple that I had studied about it in the eighth grade. If the idea of blocking the sun proves so difficult, why not reflect it instead? To this effect, I remembered a small science experiment I read about in grade school… the brighter the color, the less amount of heat it absorbes. What is the brightest color? white. Why do the Greeks whitewash their houses? to keep them cool… yes, this seemed too simple to be very useful. But worth a try.

I got my roof cleaned and washed, then got it coated with two layers of pure white enamel paint. Why enamel? well, enamel is shiny and in addition to absorbing less heat it would also reflect a majority of the sun’s light, back skywards. Since enamel is also oil-based, it would  also waterproof my roof, keeping it seepage free in the rainy months.

Roof white-washed with reflective enamel

How did it work? Presto. Instant heat control. I think the method was a resounding success. And for a fraction of the cost that insulation would have required. In the daytime now, my roof is so bright you need sunglasses to look at it. But it stays so cool that you can walk around on it bare-footed. Since it reflects so much of the sun’s light, it does not absorb much of its heat and temperatures inside stay in the comfortable range. I am sure I will see a reduction in my electricity bill very soon as well. This method was the clear winner. If you have been bothered by the heat on your roof, I would suggest – try it out! You would be making your house more energy efficient, comfortable, and reducing electricity usage. All in the same go.

The new American Consulate

The new American consulate was an unwelcome neighbour in most locations. It was previously proposed to be constructed near the Karachi Grammar School on Boat Basin. However, its security headaches prompted local area residents to sue for having it not built in their neighbourhoods. Consequently, it is now being constructed at the junction between M. T. Khan road and the Mai Kolachee bypass. If you pass by there and see two tall construction cranes, that is the site. I am highlighting the location in the satellite image below.

It so happens that this location falls on my daily route so I have been able to observe the stages of its construction from day 1. The construction activity is being carried out jointly with a Turkish firm. The structure has two perimeter walls, an outer brick wall with barbed wire on top, and an inner wall. The building structure itself is very solidly constructed with even the walls of the building being built of  steeel re-enforced concrete — in order to make it bomb proof. The location itself is not very cleverly chosen since KPT just constructed a flyover in the vicinity which can give an aerial view inside the perimeter of the compound. Not to mention, it is located at the junction of two critical arteries of the city.

The residential block?

Nevertheless, the American government has been given a generous amount of land here so they can construct offices as well as residences for their officials in Karachi. However, they should now try to be good neighbours and avoid being a burden on Karachi’s citizens. The roads crossing near this location are main city arteries and any kind of blockade of these roads by the American Consulate should not be allowed by the city authorities. Very importantly, the location straddles important public transport routes and mini-buses and rickshaws should NEVER be dis-allowed from passing this area (as it happened on Abdullah Haroon rd). Hopefully, once this building is functional, the citizens of Karachi will once again be able to enjoy the gardens of the beautiful Frere Hall in un-inhibited peace.

Storehouses for construction equipment?

Before parting, I must differentiate between American citizens and the American government (as pointed out by a commentor on my earlier post). The citizens of the United States can be of all kinds, just like the citizens of Pakistan. Of the ones who visit Pakistan, most would not like to live in such castles as the American consulate, and may go around to live in different hotels or even people’s houses. However, the American Consulate is an office of the American government and therefore represents an institutional entity which, due to its prominence, has understandable security needs. Since this location is being built from scratch, hopefully, the US government will be making sure that all its security needs within the city are being taken care of within the perimeter of its compound.

But who does it belong to??

Unidentified new building on M.T. Khan Road

There is no signage on the gate or on the building which gives information about what organization it belongs to. If it were any company or any other commercial organization, they would have been advertizing it to the hilt. However, nothing near this building gives its identity away… 

Another thing worth noting is that whichever organization got it constructed apparently has no shortage of funds (even in these tough economic times). They have spent quite a fortune on this building’s decor and aesthetics (tazeen o araaish). Which leads me to speculate, is it a government entity? Only the government has an endless supply of money to throw away on such things… but then again, the government is not known for such ground-breaking architecture. So the puzzle remains unsolved….   Do you know who this building belongs to?

However, there are also others who are profiting from this opportunity to gain free funds. As was highlighted in the news a few days ago, reports are rife that people collected donations for the cause of the IDP’s and kept a major portion for themselves. Then there is the odd person who pops up by your car on a signal, with a box for donations. I am forever doubtful if that donation is actually going for the IDP’s or for the Taleban under-cover, or in the pocket of some corrupt profiteer. Oh yes! you should keep this in mind! Since there was no initial screening of the people coming down from the Swat area, many of the Taleban also slipped out with them. And they are known to take on such disguises to escape from the military so they can survive to cause trouble later. And Karachi is one place where they know they can come to collect money! 

So keeping all this in mind, how should you screen your donation to make sure it actually reaches the ones in need?

One thing is to make sure that the organization or individual collecting the donation is dependable and has a track record for doing this kind of help. Another is to make sure that they have the required infrastructure or delivery mechanism in place to actually deliver the help in time and to the people actually in need. Third is to make sure that they would utilize the excess aid in a proper manner and divert it to other such scenarios.

For me, the World Food Programme (of the United Nations) fits all these descriptions perfectly. It is no secret that they are doing an incredible amount of work to make sure that nutritious food supply is maintained for everyone in need. Plus they have a history of providing such aid earlier during the earthquake tragedy in Pakistan as well. The UN has the required infrastructure, supply chain setup, and governmental permissions that would get this aid across quickly. And also if there is any surplus, you can be sure that they will utilize it within Pakistan for any future tragedy that might hit. For just Rs. 6000 you can help support an entire IDP family. I am publishing the details of the WFP’s Pakistan Trust Fund accounts below, so you too can help. These have been verified by me through contacting the official spokesperson for the WFP in Pakistan, so you can be sure they are the right ones. You can also find the same account details on the WFP’s Pakistan website, http://www.helpidp.org/donation.php which they have set up in collaboration with the NWFP government. Heres the details:

World Food Program – Pakistan Trust Funds

Account-1:

Account no: 01-7355548-38
Standard Chartered Bank, F-7 Markaz, Islamabad
Swift Code – SCBLPKKX

Account-2:

Account no: 92577-4
Branch code: 1694
National Bank of Pakistan, Al Markaz branch, F-8 Islamabad.
Swift Code: NBPAPKKA02I

I have just joined the Metblogging team for Karachi, so would like to present a short introduction before I go on with my post. I was born in Karachi,  left it when I was 18 to go abroad, lived little more than half a decade abroad, and am now proudly calling myself a Karachiite again. I am an engineer by profession, however I have an avid interest in the city. Especially in its architecture. You can see a website I made at www.historickarachi.com which showcases the heritage of our city. Since this is my first post on metblogs, I would like to start on a somewhat lighthearted note. Lets talk about the Conocarpus. 

More specifically, the Conocarpus Erectus — a tree that has taken over Karachi like a storm! A tree? well yes. Karachi’s climate is rather hot and dry. It does not rain here much and there is not a lot of vegetation that can survive here easily without much help and still look fresh and green. Not the Conocarpus! This is one tree that has made its presence felt in the city over the last two years. You can see it everywhere now… especially greening the areas around Shahrah-e-Faisal and Karsaz. But also in many different areas. Bin Qasim Park, Beach Park, Khayaban-e-Hafiz in DHA, University Road near Askari Park, etc. etc. Not sure how it got here, but most probably the CDGK had some part to play in introducing this species to Karachi. And some of us can be pretty resistant to such new stuff… I heard a rumor going around recently that this tree causes diseases :-O  Nope. Nothing can be further from the truth. Maybe we should spend a minute and understand it more…

Conocarpus on the Karachi waterfront

Conocarpus Erectus is not really a tree, but a rather large woody shrub growing up to 40 feet tall. It originates in North America from the edges of swamplands in Florida, which is why it has often times been confused to be a mangrove. It is not a mangrove though, but is a very hardy plant that can survive the hot weather, bad air, bad soils and frequent droughts associated with urban environments very well. Its leaves are very thick and leathery which help it retain its health in the heat, and the plant also grows very well in saline soils. In fact, its salt tolerance is so good that it has been used for the reclaimation of salinity damaged lands. All these qualities make it an ideal plant for Karachi.

Conocarpus has also been used in other regions of the world. This tree-like shrub can be trimmed in a lot of ways and is often used for road-side medians, parking lots, screening hedges, and other landscaping purposes. Kuwait is one country that has made extensive use of the Conocarpus for its landscaping. Another is Hawaii, where it is so prevalent now that it has become naturalized. 

In Karachi you can find the Conocarpus in a lot of areas. Particularly in DHA, the soil is naturally very saline (since most of it is reclaimed land) and Conocarpus thrives in DHA much better than any other trees. It has been used to particularly good effect on Khayaban-e-Hafiz where a lot of people have used it to screen their houses from the road. It has also been put to good use on roadside medians on Shahrah-e-Faisal and in the Karsaz area. On the water-front road now, the CDGK has planted lots of saplings where it should be able to grow very well. In fact, it may be a very good idea to plant it all over our beachside. That would make it look very attractive. 

Conocarpus grove in front of Dolmen City

If you are a greenery fan, I would suggest that you should introduce yourself and your neighbourhood to the Conocarpus. Make sure that you keep individual trees at least 5 feet apart so that they do not smother each other. Some watering may be helpful in order to help the plant take hold, but otherwise, it should do pretty well on its own. Here’s to a greener Karachi!