Karachi restoration project

Presently, the sights of Karachi comprise dilapidated buildings interspersed between high-rise edifices, old and new and mostly dirty light brown in colour to match the dust that travels kilometres in the city daily, plus mounds of pollution and ill-planned roadways and major shopping malls without much consideration given to where patrons would park.

It is pleasing in this backdrop that CM Murad Ali Shah has finalised the Karachi Liveable Improvement Project targeting restoration projects in the surroundings of the old city which contains many of Karachi’s heritage landmarks. The project cost is $80 million, of which the World Bank will provide 80 per cent and the Government of Sindh will fork up 20 per cent. The venture concentrates on building pedestrian access ways, repairing roads and rehabilitating parks. However, while a praiseworthy initiative, some cautions must be heeded. The first point of concern is the mission of this project — that is, fast, inexpensive and high-impact jobs meant to transform the metropolis so as to make it ‘liveable’. It is no easy task to create liveable conditions for 25 million people. Second, while the optimism at restoring this once beautiful city is shared, time must be appropriated so that work is not completed haphazardly, as is often the case with road repair jobs which come undone a few weeks after hasty effort. Resultantly, if the quality of rapid work for this major project is the same, resources would be squandered. Third, nothing has been said about waste disposal systems, which is the most pressing issue for the city.

No doubt, this is an excellent move by the new CM, it finally seems as if some in the corridors of power are awakening to their civic duties and obligations and working with the right intentions. As lofty as the project aims sound, especially given the lack of civic sense and etiquettes of our people to respectfully use public facilities, it is much needed to increase serenity and prospects in the city.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 8^th, 2016.

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