Kharadar to get Rs136m facelift

Project launched for rejuvenation of old city area housing pre-independence heritage buildings

KARACHI:

Housing the famous Wazir Mansion, the childhood home of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the Kharadar locality of old city area will get a facelift, said Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab on Sunday.

The decaying water, sewerage and power lines and broken sidewalks will be repaired under the project. Kharadar, or the saltishdoor, opening towards Arabian Sea, is among the oldest settlements of the city, along with Mithadar or sweet-door, which once opened towards the banks of then a clean gurgling seasonal Lyari River.

Home to scores of heritage buildings, Wahab said Kharadar rejuvenation will be the fourth project under Karachi Neighborhood Improvement Project (KNIP).

The administrator expressed these views while addressing the groundbreaking ceremony of the Redevelopment of Kharadar project at Allah Rakha Park.

He said that Kharadar will get a facelift at a cost of Rs136.5 million. Another Rs16.5 million will be spent on developing Allah Rakha Park and its adjacent localities in the old city area. Wahab, who is also the spokesperson for the Sindh government, said Rs8 million will be spent on improving the utility services in the area. Another Rs13 million will go for streamlining the electricity supply cables and poles and Rs99 million for repairs of surrounding roads.

Roads in the old city area of Karachi will also be rebuilt, Wahab said. Besides KNIP, the Sindh government was also working on various upkeep projects for the provincial capital, he said. Wahab said that reconstruction and repair of Kakri Ground in Kharadar and the Gizri Football Stadium near Zamama Boulevard in DHA will be completed too.

He said that Kakri Ground where Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed's marriage ceremony was held will be turned into a world class stadium on which work is in progress. "Construction of Food Street in Boat Basin and four adjoining parks has also been started. According to the vision of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto, development of Karachi is in progress and will continue," said Barrister Murtaza Wahab.

"The Sindh government has also completed construction of three roads and a flyover in Korangi district," he added. Wahab affirmed that they are also starting construct of the road leading to Somar Kundiani Village. He said that PC-1 of Kala Board Malir Road repair had been prepared. Similarly, Chakiwara Road and Sher Shah Road will also be reconstructed.

KNIP Project Director Neighborhood Nazir Memon announced that parks, roads, sidewalks, and street lights in the old city area would be improved under the Neighbourhood Scheme while preserving the historical heritage.

Also present on occasion were PPP District South President Khalil Hoot, General Secretary Karamullah Waqasi, Neighborhood Scheme Project Director Nazir Memon, Deputy Commissioner South Irshad Sudhar, PPP leaders Naeem Memon, Shakeel Chaudhry, Yousuf Naz and others. KNIP builds upon the initiatives by the Sindh government to rejuvenate Karachi.

The World Bank funded project supports Pakistan's Vision 2025, which aims to transform urban areas into creative, ecofriendly and sustainable cities through improved city governance, effective urban planning, efficient local mobility, infrastructure and better security to make urbanisation an important driver of growth.