Urbanisation woes: Experts dissect Karachi’s problems

Divisions along ethnic lines is one major problem.

KARACHI: A master plan needs to be created by the provincial government to control rapid urbanisation in Karachi, said the speakers of Shura Hamdard Karachi, at a meeting on Thursday.

The former chief justice of the federal shariat court, Hiziqul Khairi, chaired the meeting. Former production minister Engineer Islam Nabi said that unlimited expansion of cities always created socio-economic problems.

He mentioned that Karachi gave 70 per cent of its revenue to the government but received an inadequate amount for its own development.

Engineer Anwarul Haq Siddiqui said that Istanbul should be used as a model while planning Karachi’s development. Prof. Dr Akhlaque Ahmed suggested that a new census be conducted to gauge the city’s population levels. The speakers also discussed the problem of new population pockets forming in the city on linguistic and ethnic lines. Prof. Muhammad Rafi suggested that courts be set up in each district to resolve local disputes.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 15^th, 2012.