Mayor hopes for Rs28b World Bank funded projects for Hyderabad

Acknowledges city's infrastructure is in poor state

HYDERABAD:

The Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC) Mayor Kashif Ali Shoro has expressed hope that the development projects worth around Rs28 billion will be started in Hyderabad with the World Bank's financing.

Addressing the HMC's council meeting in Hyderabad on Tuesday the mayor recalled that soon after assuming the office he had submitted proposals with an array of projects to secure the bank's financing.

According to him, most of these projects will be executed in City and Latifabad talukas of Hyderabad, which have hitherto elected legislators from Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan in most of the general and local government elections.

The mayor claimed that he has already secured Rs5 billion development funds for the development works in Hyderabad from the provincial government.

He expressed desire to construct four new water filtration plants in Hyderabad before his four-year term expired.

Shoro acknowledged that Hyderabad's infrastructure is in a reasonably poor state. He reminded that Hyderabad Water and Sewerage Corporation as well as the local government department are already executing drainage projects to ease the drainage flows in the city and to prevent overflow from sewers.

He also admitted that the problem of encroachment also existed in the city. He informed that a five-member committee, with representation given to one individual from each of the nine Town Municipal Corporations (TMCs), will be formed to submit report on people involved in encroachment. The same committee will also be tasked to stop draining of animal offal in the drainage lines besides launching a crackdown against elements selling adulterated meat and violating regulations set for the meat markets, he added.

The mayor told that during his visit to Toledo, a city in Ohio state of the US, he secured an assurance that a million books for libraries in Hyderabad will be provided by that city's government. He added that the HMC will foot the bill for the shipment. He apprised that he also helped Toledo Lords University and Government College University, Hyderabad, sign a memorandum understanding for collaboration in higher education and research.

The council's meeting approved bidding for charged car parking in City and Latifabad talukas, action to remove garbage dumping points illegally set up outside the educational institutions and 15% increase in entry fee in Rani Bagh, a recreational facility.