KARACHI, Dec 19: Sindh Chief Secretary K.B. Rind has stressed the need for preparation of a master plan, envisaging establishment of an educational city in Karachi by the provincial and the city governments in collaboration with reputed educational institutions.

Presiding over a meeting in his office on Thursday, the chief secretary directed the officials to submit a comprehensive master plan in this regard. The meeting was also attended by City Nazim Naimatullah Khan, EDO (master plan) Zaigham Jaffery and other officers.

Mr Rind constituted a committee, consisting of DCO Karachi Shafiqur Rehman Paracha, member land utilization, Board of Revenue, Subhan Memon, and a number of EDOs, to evolve a strategy in this regard.

He said that education played an important role in development of a nation and it was imperative that institutions should be set up for imparting modern education to the youth and for conducting research.

The DCO presented some proposals which were appreciated by the chief secretary who remarked that the proposed master plan should envisage all aspects, including financial implications, that would be needed for the desired standard of education in the next 25 years.

He said that all agencies engaged in education, health, social welfare, city government, private organizations, who take part in national development activities, should make concerted efforts to turn the project into a reality. The educational city, he added, would be equipped with modern facilities and would be a place for higher education, training and research, which could foresee global changes.

The City Nazim assured the officials of every possible cooperation by the city government.

It may be mentioned that the government of Sindh has made a headway in developing a plot of land on the link road between the National Highway and Shahrah-i-Pakistan, where various educational and health organizations, including the Aga Khan University and the Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology, etc., have acquired land for their projects.

With the establishment of the educational city, the people of Karachi and the suburbs would have the facility of health and education while students would get best opportunities for higher education.

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