In order to decentralize the political, administrative and financial resources and responsibilities, the government of Pakistan designed a new devolution plan in 2000. The Local Government Plan 2000 and the Local Government Ordinance 2001 provided the legal roadmap to the aforesaid system that allow public participation in decision-making up to the grass-root level.
According to this plan, Karachi has a three-tier federated system, formed by:
According to this plan, Karachi has a three-tier federated system, formed by:
- City District Government (CDG)
- Town Municipal Administration
- Union Council Administration
The CDG of Karachi is divided into 18 zones or towns. These towns are governed by the town municipal administration. Each town administration is responsible for infrastructure and spatial planning, development facilitation, and municipal services (water, sanitation, solid waste, repairing roads, parks, street lights, and traffic engineering) in a town, except those functions which are retained within the CDG.Eighteen towns of CDG Karachi are sub-divided into 178 stratum that form the union council administration. A union council (UC) is the core element of the local government system. Each UC is a body of 13 directly elected members, consisting of the UC Nazim (mayor), UC Naib Nazim (deputy mayor), labour and minority councillors. The UC Nazim heads the union administration and is responsible for facilitating the CDG to plan and execute municipal services, as well as for informing higher authorities about public concerns and complaints.
