City fish harbour gets security overhaul

With a deadly shooting exposing the fault lines at Karachi Fish Harbour, the Sindh government has ordered a sweeping security overhaul at the province's key seafood hub, where 20,000 people enter daily and unchecked commercial activity, congestion and weak access controls have raised serious law-and-order concerns.

Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday directed Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar to strengthen security and pursue the establishment of a dedicated police station at the harbour in consultation with the Fisheries Department.

Chairing a meeting at his office, CM Shah also ordered mandatory registration of all harbour users, the introduction of RFID-based identification cards and an upgrade of the existing database to improve access control and monitoring.

The meeting reviewed law and order, infrastructure deficiencies, utility connections, fish auction arrangements, the management of the Fishermen Cooperative Society and the regulation of seafood exports.

Officials informed the meeting that the harbour operates round the clock, accommodating fishermen, auction agents, vendors, labourers, transporters, seafood processors, ice dealers and foreign nationals. The large volume of activity, coupled with inadequate security personnel, has placed pressure on the facility's security and infrastructure.

The briefing cited a firing incident on September 8, reportedly triggered by a dispute over placing fish on a road, in which one person was killed and six others injured.

CM Shah directed officials to ensure that fish unloading, auctions and related commercial activities take place only in designated areas, keeping roads and access routes clear.

The chief minister ordered the completion of registration records and the integration of the harbour's management information system with the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) verification system, a mobile application and the Crime Record Management System.

The meeting was informed that the Karachi Fisheries Harbour Authority (KFHA) had registered 5,196 boats and issued 170,000 computerised cards to harbour users since 2001, including 155,000 crew cards. Officials were also directed to obtain missing registration details of people associated with the Fishermen Cooperative Society.

Established by the federal government in 1959 over 84 acres, the harbour was transferred to Sindh in 1974 after fisheries came under provincial jurisdiction. The KFHA was established in 1984 to oversee its management and rehabilitation.

The meeting also examined a Rs5.7 million electricity bill disputed by the Fishermen Cooperative Society following the removal of a meter. CM Shah directed the fisheries minister to resolve the matter and arrange a separate electricity connection. A separate water connection was also ordered to meet operational needs and support compliance with European Union requirements for seafood exports. Officials were asked to examine the restoration of the harbour's cold storage facility, while illegal encroachments in designated areas used by ice dealers were ordered to be removed.

The society proposed establishing a new auction hall at K-6, removing hotels and allocating dedicated spaces for fish vendors. The fisheries minister was directed to examine the proposals to reduce congestion and prevent disputes over the use of roads and common areas.

CM Shah also called for tighter monitoring of seafood exporters operating outside the harbour, citing concerns over alleged illegal fish warehouses, revenue losses and discrepancies between recorded weights and export declarations. Officials were directed to improve documentation and traceability and take action under applicable laws.

The meeting reviewed progress on a Rs2.779 billion rehabilitation scheme for the harbour's external services. Of the total cost, Rs1.426 billion has been spent, while Rs311 million has been allocated for the current fiscal year, of which Rs46.65 million has been released.

While road works are 90% complete, the CCTV system is only 5% complete. Several other components, including the fixed jetty and floating pontoons, have yet to record physical progress.

CM Shah directed the fisheries department to remove bottlenecks and accelerate pending works, particularly CCTV surveillance, street lighting and the security control room.