Over the past months, the Cantonment Boards (CBs) in Karachi have adversely been projected in the press stirring calls for its abolishment. The CBs are not a unique phenomenon of Karachi. They are spread all over Pakistan contributing to the national development but no where comparison lines with city governments are being drawn so callously.

No friction of the sort has been seen amongst people from Peshawar to Quetta. In fact upcountry; the Walton, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Chaklala, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan and Sialkot the CBs, to mention very few, are revered for their contributions to the national cause. In Karachi, the scenario of relative comparison is being caused to prevail, may be for the reason of the series of the mega projects the city has witnessed recently. The comparison with the CBs in this aspect is absolutely unfitting for the reason that the CBs are not tasked for mega projects.

As the proverb says, “money makes the mare go”; for the municipal bodies, ‘money’ makes the mayor go! Every department of the state has its own defined role and parameters. The mega infrastructural development of the cities is assigned to the city governments for the obvious reason that both the federal and provincial governments generously fund them for the purpose.

Not going down deep into the historical perspectives justifying the CBs’ existence, let us examine on surface the last two experiments where parts of cantonments were excised and handed over to the town administrations. Model Colony was excised and handed over by Malir CB to the Malir Town in 1987. Over the years, compare your self what remains the status of both the localities just across the MP Check Posts on the same road? The CB Malir has a tremendous progress pace in all these years!

In 1988 Tandoor Colony, New Iqbalabad, Azeemabad No. 1, Sadaat Colony, Haidar Colony, Alhaidar society, Rehmanabad Housing Scheme were excised by CB Faisal and handed over to the Shah Faisal Town. In all these twenty years, leaving rest of the matters apart, the CDGK/KWSB could not arrange to provide for its water supply till date, continuing its dependency upon CB Faisal.

The assertion for abolishment of the CBs is put forward to advocate end to the anxieties the city is facing. At the micro level let there be comparison of service delivery apropos good governance. The CBs all over Pakistan have been trend setters in aesthetically laying out medium to large housing schemes, artistically catering to the growing housing needs of the expanding population. Its public services of sanitation, hygiene and horticulture are still unrivalled, exemplifying the healthy environmental standards of the nation.

The moment one enters the Cantt limits, one feels the air of change. The density of parks, gardens and green surrounds per square metre is higher than the neighbourhood, acclimatising the populace with the soothing serenity. The CBs growing and best maintained pure water filteration plants are enriching quality of life in conformity with the WHO standards.

The CBs own with pride the most disciplined civil work force. Ever present, responsive, service cautious, duty bound staff is ardently serving the masses no matter what the clock strikes. The CBs’ street lighting, street clearance and road maintenance draw a distinctive line between the Cantt and non-Cantt areas and virtually complimenting greater traffic safety while deterring street crime ratio.

In the recent past the CBs have aggressively proceeded for improbable triumphs in e-governance. The gigantic land and revenue records wholesomely computerised, the CBs are now aiming to launch GIS protocols. The Malir, Faisal and Clifton Cantonment Boards have emerged with (on-screen) administration-on-click softwares, revolutionising the processes and procedures for speedy disposals of cases with control and command modules for operative transparency. Unparalleled countrywide, or probably worldwide, the CBs have introduced Office-on-wheels (Window Speedo) wi-fi linked mobile offices offering all range of services right near the door step of the residents, which were otherwise available only in the main office. The land management and building control of the CBs is again a paragon. Stringent town planning regulations deployed, the CBs, in comparison to its counterparts, have in far inferior number the exasperations of encroachments (Qabza groups), lands’ swindling and unauthorised constructions.

Notwithstanding this, the CBs are being talked about for negligence, inefficiency and absence of facilities. What sort of negligence, inefficiency and absence of facility is found in the CBs, which otherwise is not found in its neighbouring civic bodies? The CBs, as many may be in knowledge of, are exclusively dependent upon a scarce financial pier of local taxation (house tax), with no external financial source. Nonetheless, the local taxation always being at minimal and further marginalised by the growing recurring costs of service delivery, yet the CBs with least budgets are better managed, maintained and kept in higher living standards without straining the governmental funds in comparison with the flows of grants available to the neighbouring civic agencies.

The CBs have rarely been included in the Annual Development Programmes of the government and of the honourable parliament members elected from the CBs’ constituencies. The CBs, being very much in Karachi, have been kept aloof from the Tameer-e-Karachi Programme as well. The scarcity of resources, however, has never restrained the zeal for service. While the city governments have hundreds of officers, scores of departments and multitude of resources at its disposal, the government is extracting the similar job work in the CBs from only ‘one’ officer (the CEO), very few officials and with no funding and burdening of the government kitty.

Though financially too small in face of the city government, the CBs have not remained shy of financial contributions for the communal good where ever required. To name a few, the CBs have been waiving off multi millions of rupees against road cutting charges in facilitation of the CDGK projects, in addition; the Faisal Cantonment Board had contributed 50 million rupees in road widening project of the Karsaz Road and recently has contributed Rs160 million in 50 per cent cost financing of Sharea Faisal flyover.

The CB Faisal is also administering water supply to the CDGK areas of Shah Faisal Town since twenty years burdening its finances by 40 million rupees, though it’s none of its chartered obligations. Over and above, the Sindh government owes around Rs300 million rupees in octroi share to the CBs. The octroi share is regularly being paid by the three provinces to the respective CBs, whereas, the Government of Sindh is passing on the CBs’ annual octroi share to the CDGK and its town administrations.

The public is wiser enough to decide about its own good. Observe the inhabitancy preferences where the citizens are aspiring to inhabit properties in the CBs at much higher market prices than the other areas of the city. This is enough an applause for the CBs to stand out as front line areas of greater civic management, sanitation, cleaner environments and safer abodes.

India has been through the exercise of cost-benefit analysis of the CBs in 2001-06. In evaluation of various reports e.g. of ‘National Commission to review the working of constitution’ and the ‘Balwant Rai Mehta Committee’, the Indian parliament approved for further empowerment of the CBs in terms of autonomy and financial support through enactment of Cantonment Act of 2006.

As the wise put in, no system is good or bad by itself. It’s the people who make it so. The CBs may not be perfect but can one ask; is the world so impeccably perfect outside the cantonments?