Sindh CM orders launch of 'non-negotiable' Karachi Safe City project's phase I by March
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah speaks during a press conference on Wednesday. Photo: NNI
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Thursday directed the Sindh Safe Cities Authority (SSCA) to launch Phase I of the "non-negotiable" Karachi Safe City (KSC) Project within the next two months.
Presiding over a meeting of the SSCA at CM House, the chief minister said: “The safety of Karachi is non-negotiable. We are moving from the project phase to a fully functional authority."
The chief minister further stated that surveys for Safe City projects in Hyderabad and Sukkur, as well as smart camera installations at provincial entry and exit points, were completed by the National Radio & Telecommunication Corporation.
He ordered preparations for Safe City projects in the two cities. “I want a comprehensive plan with a clear timeline submitted for approval,” he added.
Sindh CM @MuradAliShahPPP chaired a meeting of Safe Cities Authority.
Phase-I of Karachi Safe City Project will be operational within two months. Project includes 1,300 cameras, fully functional facial & number plate recognition systems & revised budget of Rs200 million. pic.twitter.com/WwxzIRWmcRThe chief minister directed the SSCA to hire technical experts strictly on merit and necessity, forming a dedicated committee to oversee recruitment.
CM Shah also approved the immediate hiring of 34 specialised technical and administrative staff, including lead systems architects, backend developers and surveillance officers to ensure the multibillion-rupee project became operational within the stipulated timeline.
Phase I of the project includes the installation of 1,300 cameras across 300 pole sites, 18 point of presence sites and 23 emergency response vehicles. The chief minister was told the system was currently in the “acceptance trial phase” as technology installations were complete.
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To prevent delays, the chief minister re-appropriated Rs200 million within the existing budget, prioritising human resources and patrolling logistics.
The SSCA will temporarily operate from the Central Police Office with Sindh Inspector General of Police Javed Akhtar Odho providing a dedicated floor for coordination with existing command-and-control functions.
SSCA Director General Sarfraz Nawaz briefed the chief minister that the technical infrastructure, including servers, video walls, and fibre optic networks, was completed on schedule by December 17. He added that the Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system was being fine-tuned and would showcase live facial recognition and automatic number plate recognition within two weeks.
The meeting was attended by Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, CM’s Special Assistant Ali Rashid, MPAs Sumeta Afzal and Syed Sarfraz Shah, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Home Secretary Iqbal Memon, IG Police Javed Alam Odho, PSCM Agha Wasif, and other senior officials.