City uplift needs Rs1 trillion annually: Murad

Says problems aggravate during rains due to encroachment on drains

KARACHI:

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has said that a whopping Rs1 trillion is needed for the development of the metropolitan city every year, while it is set to receive Rs218 billion this year despite the paucity of resources.

A World Bank study conducted by the Sindh government revealed that $3 billion is needed to make Karachi a livable city. Although the required amount is huge, around Rs1,000 billion should be spent on the development and reconstruction of Karachi's infrastructure, CM Shah said. "Due to resource constraints, only Rs218 billion has been allocated for Karachi's development."

He said this in a meeting with the elected body of the National Press Club Islamabad at the CM House on Saturday. The meeting was held after the Islamabad journalists visited different districts of the province, including Thar, Sukkur, and Gambat, where they praised the Sindh government's development efforts.

Responding to a question, the chief minister said that under the City Government Karachi, the embankments of main nullahs had been allotted, and whatever space was left had been encroached upon. As a result, cleaning of the nullahs became a serious issue, and the city kept submerging during heavy rains.

He pointed out that commercial activities had been allowed on sidewalks, where hundreds of shops popped up. Key roads and thoroughfares that needed to be kept non-commercial were made commercial by allowing the establishment of commercial markets and centres, resulting in traffic congestion becoming another issue.

The provincial government has developed BRT Orange Line, and work on BRT Red Line is in full swing, which will be followed by a Yellow Line. "Karachi is a metropolis and we'll resolve all its issues," he vowed. The People's Bus Service, including women-exclusive Pink bus services, have provided relief to commuters in Karachi.

The chief minister said that Sindh is the only province which has constructed three bridges on the River Indus - two of them on Public-Private Partnership basis. The main roads, including Karachi-Thatta and Hyderabad-Mirpurkhas, have also been constructed on a PPP basis. In Karachi, Malir Expressway is being constructed and its one portion will be opened for traffic by the end of this month.