CM forms technical team for Safe City Project

Panel will evaluate prices of equipment, select experts from universities

KARACHI:

Sindh Chief Minister Caretaker Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar presided over a decisive meeting on the Karachi Safe City Project here at CM house on Monday and in principle, approved the project subject to the rationalisation of the rates of different equipment and software and the payment of taxes.

"I want to start work on the much delayed and needed project, but as the custodian of public funds, it is my responsibility to ensure transparent utilization. Therefore, the National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC) must satisfy me and my team regarding the estimates," he said.

The interim CM constituted a technical committee under Home Secretary Iqbal Memon to evaluate equipment prices and compare them with the market price.

The committee would select its technical members from universities, and they would be empowered to delete duplications and insert missing items. However, Planning and Development Chairman Shakil Mangnejo would continue his sessions with the NRTC team on different components of the project and their prices.

The chief minister discussed every item and its cost with the NRTC representatives, and they agreed to reduce the cost of the equipment and software and delete the items included in duplication.

"In principle, we have decided to approve the initial project concept or PC-I [by the P&D], but even then, a technical committee, to be selected from the universities' experts headed by the Home Secretary, would evaluate the rates of the equipment and submit proposals within the next 15 days," the CM decided.

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The meeting was attended by Home Minister Brig (retd) Haris Nawaz, IG Riffat Mukhtar Raja, Sindh Local Govt Dept Secretary Manzoor Shaikh, Finance Secretary Kazim Jatoi, DG Sindh Safe City Authority Asif Aijaz Shaikh, NRTC representatives and other concerned officers.

The CM said that if the NRTC did not agree on the prices, the provincial government would prefer to start the civil works, such as the construction of ducts, laying of optical fibre, installation of poles and construction of the main building, so that the much-delayed project can be moved forward.

The CM said that the NRTC has increased the rate of `video enhancement software' to Rs84 million which was unreasonable and would be re-negotiated by the Chairman P&D and even in the technical committee. Mangejo told the CM that the NRTC has submitted a modified PC-I for Rs48 billion. Under the PC-I 10,000 new high-definition cameras would be installed, apart from the upgradation of 2,000 existing cameras. This entire process of installation and upgradation would be completed in five phases.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 12^th, 2023.