Development projects continue to face delays

Little or no progress has been achieved in upgrading the water, transport and infrastructural network of financial hub

KARACHI:

Financial centres across the globe are a manifestation of the extraordinary efforts undertaken by their governments to invest in their development and modernization. From Dubai's infrastructural rat race to Singapore's public transport network, each business hub embodies the supreme vision of the state, laying out a prototypical development plan for other cities in the country to follow. Unfortunately, when it comes to Pakistan, one can only hope that the current state of the money-making metropolis, Karachi, is not replicated for the rest of the country.

Karachi, the city which contributes towards 65 per cent of the revenue of the federal government and 95 per cent of the income generated by the provincial government, continues to remain deprived of basic water, transport and infrastructural facilities since the past several decades. During the last 20 years or so, the water crisis in the metropolis has reached an alarming level, the road network has suffered immense decrepitude while the public transport facilities are deplorably insufficient.

"Karachi annually contributes Rs6000 billion to the exchequer both federal and provincial. Regrettably, due to the ill-planned policies of the government, the citizens of the world's fifth largest city are miserable. No single issue has been fully resolved. Unemployment and street crimes are at their peak, while the water, infrastructure and transport facilities are also in an abysmal state," riled MQM leader, Zahid Mansoori.

According to Mohsin Raza, General Secretary of the Peoples Labour Union, Karachi's daily requirement of water is 1200 million gallons while the supply is only 415 million gallons. "Tanker mafias are robbing the rights of the residents of Karachi," said Raza.

"There are several obstacles in the way of the K-IV project and its completion next year is very difficult. Work on several components, including its distribution line, is yet to begin. To overcome the current water crisis, it is necessary that the water corporation corrects its management, announces the water schedule on the media and streamlines the valve operation," Dr Nauman Ahmad, an expert from NED University.

According to sources familiar with the matter, the K-IV and 65mgd projects are still incomplete with 54 per cent and 85 per cent work respectively pending while the state of the public transport network is no better.

"Even after the passage of 12 years, the Transport Master Plan 2030 could not be actualized. Under this project initiated by Japan, an 8000 bus network was planned which would include six Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) lines i.e. Green Line, Orange Line, Red Line, Yellow Line, Blue Line and Purple Line," revealed an officer of the Sindh Transport Department.

"Instead of investing in expensive mass transit projects using external loans, more and more locally manufactured new big buses are the need of the hour," differed Dr Ahmad.

Indeed, only 280 new air-conditioned buses are being operated on 15 different routes of the Peoples Bus Scheme, which is nowhere near enough. "The Sindh government is aware of the lack of public transport in the city, so there is a plan to bring more new buses," assured Kashif Khan, an officer at the Sindh Mass Transit Authority.

On the other hand, Muhammad Ilyas, General Secretary of Karachi Transport Union, revealed that more than 50,000 illegal Qing qi rickshaws were operating in the city and were obstructing the routes of public buses, which were already manoeuvring through broken roads.

"Nearly all important roads in the city are suffering from congestion. This is because quality reconstruction work is not being carried out," said Saeed Mughal, spokesperson of the Karachi Constructors Association.

As per reports, several avenues including the MA Jinnah Road, New MA Jinnah Road, SM Tawfiq Road, Shahra Pakistan, Rashid Minhas Road, University Road, Altaf Barelvi Road, Nishtar Road, Jail Road, Jamshed Road, Hakeem Ibn Sina Road, Sher Shah Suri Road, Garden Road, MT Khan Road, Hub River Road, Korangi Industrial Area Road, Karsaz Road and Pir Sibghatullah Shah Rashidi Road are suffering from disrepair with scrapped bitumen and open manholes.