Karachi Transformation Plan

No other city of Pakistan since long has been a subject to sustained debate and discussion as Karachi. Termed a megacity with a population of around 25 million, Karachi is vulnerable to colossal conflicts ranging from water to energy, unauthorised settlements and ethnic polarisation. In order to effectively deal with contentious issues faced by Karachi, a high level meeting chaired by the Prime Minister was held in Islamabad on November 26, which discussed in detail a comprehensive plan to transform the megacity by launching 100 projects.

There is a long history of proposals, plans and projects to positively transform Karachi and make the city liveable by launching a bulk water supply scheme, public transport, waste disposal, functional drainage system, eradicating pollution and unauthorised settlements. Prime Minister Imran’s Khan’s Rs1.1 trillion Karachi Transformation Plan (KTP) which he announced in the aftermath of the August 27 heavy rains tends to change the shape of Sindh’s provincial metropolis. The meeting in Islamabad held the other day, which was also attended by the Chief of Army Staff and some federal ministers along with the adviser on finance, Dr Hafeez Sheikh, is the first major initiative to change the destiny of Karachi. For the first time, 100 projects under the transformation package have been planned which include the finalisation of the K-4 project for the supply of bulk water supply to Karachi; eradicating illegal construction and encroachments along stormwater drains or nullahs; and constructing 6,000 apartments. A proposal by a Dutch-based firm AWTEC to invest $1.2 billion to generate energy from solid waste also came under discussion.

Other projects under the KTP deals with revitalising the circular railway, completing the metro bus service, and carrying out maintenance of roads and modernizing the city’s infrastructure. Will KTP provide relief to the beleaguered population of Karachi particularly when there is no elected local government system in the city? How credible will KTP be when there is a serious trust deficit between the federal and provincial governments and will there be a mechanism to prevent corruption in projects to be completed under that plan? These are the questions which have been raised from time to time by the concerned stakeholders of Karachi and those who are responsible for KTP must be serious and professional in dealing with issues which may not only derail the entire plan but also cause enormous wastage of tax payer’s money.

Critics argue that when Karachi makes for 65% of the federal and 90% of Sindh’s revenue, why is Pakistan’s ‘jewel in the crown’ deprived of better living conditions and essential necessities like clean and safe drinking water, respectable public transport, uninterrupted electricity supply, affordable healthcare, proper garbage disposal, rule of law, good governance and better educational facilities? But the concept of Karachi as a ‘lifeline’ of Pakistan will only make sense if its residents develop a sense of ownership and assert their position to counter the forces of loot, plunder and corruption.

Karachi can be positively transformed if three strategies are adopted professionally at the governmental and non-governmental level. First, a separate authority like the CPEC Authority needs to be established to executive KTP because Rs1.1 trillion is at stake as well as the credibility of those who are supposed to deal with 100 projects in order to change the shape of Karachi. Unfortunately, immediately after the announcement of KTP by Prime Minister Imran Khan in early September, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah tried to take the credit for the plan by stating that his government is already working to improve Karachi’s infrastructure with a cost of Rs600 billion. It seems that Sindh government doesn’t own the federal government’s KTP and will try to challenge its authority and launch parallel developmental plans.

There is a known history in Pakistan and in other post-colonial states of negative politics and derailing any positive work which is done in the realm of social and human development. One can expect retrogressive forces to attack KTP for the pursuance of their vested interests. In that case, one should be prepared to face efforts to derail efforts to give Karachiites relief from decades of indifference and discrimination on the part of those who matter. If a Karachi Transformation Plan Authority (KTPA) is established by including concerned stakeholders, including the business community and those representing civil society, one can expect that in the coming years there will be rapid progress to better Karachi’s infrastructure.

Second, the success of KTP would require proper homework and a professional approach to draw a timeline for the completion of 100 projects which were mentioned by the Prime Minister in the November meeting. Ironically, in the past, several projects ranging from the Karachi Bulk Water Supply know as K-4, Mass Transit System and producing electricity from waste were talked about and feasibility reports were prepared but nothing happened.

At a time when the Karachi package was announced by the federal government in early September, mafias are involved in selling water worth Rs22 billion annually to the citizens of Karachi with the connivance of law enforcement agencies. These mafias will create impediments for a smooth sailing for K-4 and other related projects to provide interrupted supply of water to deficient localities. Currently, the demand of water in Karachi is one billion gallons per day but only 450 million gallons per day is available. The gap of 550 million gallons of water is a cause of tension and crisis in Karachi. The tanker mafia which has a support from those who are supposed to maintain law and order of the city is notorious and must be eradicated. Likewise, the transport mafia, which for the last several decades, has deprived Karachiites of a respectable public transport system is held responsible for derailing the mass transit system for the city. There is a likelihood that the nexus between the transport mafia, which is composed of the owners of minibuses and buses in connivance with police, Sindh bureaucracy and other law enforcement agencies, will try to sabotage efforts to be carried out under KTP to establish the metro bus and revitalise circular railway system.

Third, in the last four decades, Karachi has been negatively transformed which is reflected in its poor public transport, water crisis, broken roads, choked drainages, hundreds of illegal settlements, enormous pollution and unplanned urban development. In order to positively transform Karachi, political will, determination, integrity, hard work, intelligence, professionalism, planning and accountability are essential. Parallel to KTPA, another body composed of eminent citizens of Karachi, needs to be formed which should act as a watchdog to monitor the successful implementation of 100 projects under the KTP.

Peace in Karachi is essential for a stable Pakistan and it can be achieved only through rule of law, good governance, eradication of mafias and real development.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 4^th, 2020.

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