KARACHI, April 11: A 25-member high-powered delegation, representing different companies of France, is arriving here in a couple of days to explore possibilities of initiating development projects in cooperation with the city government. This was stated by the French consul-general, Jean-Yves Berthautl, at his meeting with the City Nazim, Niamatullah Khan, here on Monday at the Nazim Secretariat.

The French consul-general informed the Nazim that French companies of international repute, having expertise in six different fields, are keen to help improve city’s infrastructure and their delegation will unfold details of their proposals concerning development plans to the Nazim at a meeting scheduled to be held on April 14.

In this regard, the French diplomat told the Nazim that France which has worldwide experience in the field of tram service is willing to cooperate with the city government in its plan of introducing a tram service in the metropolis.

Speaking on the occasion, the City Nazim, Niamatullah Khan, said that the city government would give priority to all those projects which would be undertaken on built-operate-and-transfer (BOT) basis by the French companies.

He told the French diplomat that the city government had recently signed agreements with an American firm for setting up two desalination plants and for executing a mass transit plan while another agreement has been signed with an Austrian firm for treatment of sewage.

Highligting the city’s importance in the context of its socio-economic conditions and its huge population, the Nazim said that there is a dire need to do the city’s future planning on a scientific manner and to take benefit of the modern systems of developed countries.

He said since the city’s population was increasing at an alarming rate of five per cent as compared to 2.5 per cent of other cities of the country, its future demands could be met only if the uplift plans are carried out expeditiously on modern lines with the cooperation of experts.

The meeting was attended, among others, by French consulate’s economic officer, Hedayat Hussain and Press attaché Atta Ansari and the CDGK’s media management department’s district officer, Sattar Javaid.

New college: The city nazim on Monday inaugurated Govt Boys Degree College, adjacent Shaikh Zayed Islamic Center, University of Karachi.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, he said that during the last three and a half years, the city government established 32 new colleges, completed buildings of 30 others and had started academic activities in them.

“Education remained top priority of CDGK as it allocated 31 per cent of its budget for the promotion of education,” the nazim informed adding that shortage of teachers at news colleges was overcome by hiring honorary teachers.

Expressing his gratitude to those teachers he said these qualified persons spent their time and energies to save a precious academic year and added that he wished that these honorary teachers could be recruited on merit.

Earlier, EDO Higher Education of CDGK Prof Raees Alvi said that completion of incomplete colleges and commencement of teaching process in them was a difficult task but the city nazim accepted the challenge and made it possible.

“It helped a lot as scores of students, who otherwise had no admission opportunity in the city, were granted admissions and now they are continuing education” he informed.

Adviser Nasim Siddiqui said all the admissions in colleges were being granted on merit and despite several kinds of pressures, not a single admission at any college in the city was granted in violation of merit.

Principal of Govt Degree Boys College, Najmul Islam told that currently around 450 students were studying at the college in pre-engineering and commerce groups while pre-medical classes will commence from next year.

He maintained that over Rs25 million were spent on the completion of this project. — PPI