KARACHI: Work on 267 projects in full swing, says Kamal
KARACHI, May 3: City Nazim Mustafa Kamal has said that work is going on 267 development projects costing Rs11 billion and some of them were in the completion stage.
Addressing a meeting to review the ongoing development projects on Wednesday, he said that a speedy development process had started for the first time in the history of Karachi. He said after completion of these projects, Karachi would join the ranks of world’s developed cities. “The amount being spent has not been generated through the sale of government lands but by increasing the city government’s revenue,” he said.
In the past, he said, no attention was paid to the development of city which led to score of problems and need was being felt for start of development projects in every sector. “We do realise that problems did crop up with the launch of a number of projects simultaneously, particularly the traffic problem,” he said adding that if development work had not been started, Karachi would have left behind in the race for development.
“The development process cannot be speeded up if we wait for completion of ongoing schemes so as to take up new schemes,” he said.
Mustafa Kamal pointed out that despite being the world’s sixth biggest city, Karachi was still in the ranks of developing cities although it contributed 68 per cent of revenue to national economy. He said that it would take 18 to 24 months for all the schemes to complete while roads of New Karachi would be completed in 15 days.
According to him, it is for the first time in the history of Karachi that construction work of 72 roads has started on international standard and it is also part of the history that work on 10 flyovers and three underpasses also started simultaneously and the same would be completed in a few months. He told the meeting that work was also in progress on 155 sewerage and 27 water supply schemes in the city.
He observed that these schemes would not only benefit Karachiites but also have positive effects on national economic activities.
“I do not believe in merely installing plaques, but want to do practical work so that problems of Karachi are solved and basic needs of people are met with,” he said adding that this all would be possible only through fast development process.
The nazim expressed hope that Karachi would emerge as a developed city on the world map in 2007.
INDUSTRIAL ZONES: More industrial zones, including an automobile zone, will be established here to promote automobile business besides industrial and commercial activities.
This was stated by City Nazim Mustafa Kamal on Tuesday during a visit to Indus Motor Company, where he was briefed by company's vice-chairman Farhad Zulfikar and director Mohammed Saeed Jang.
After a visit to various sections of the company, the nazim said that the city government had launched fastest construction activities for city's infrastructure development which had no parallel in the past 56 years. He said that each and every step of city government would be a source of promotion of city's industrial and commercial activities and local and foreign investors would enjoy more facilities to make investment here. He expressed hope that very soon Karachi would become business hub of the region.
He said that automobile zone would be established on an area of 100 acres where every facility required for automobile development would be provided.
TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT: Mustafa Kamal convened a meeting of traffic management board on May 4 to chalk out procedure for initiation of action against smoke-emitting vehicles and those without registration number plate in the light of directive of Sindh High Court.
The management board, headed by Mustafa Kamal, was set up a few months back for improvement of transport system. The board members include DCO Karachi, DIG Traffic, representative of transport department, EDO Transport and a representative of city notables.
The High Court of Sindh had directed DIG Traffic to take action against smoke emitting vehicles within three months.
COLLEGES: Mustafa Kamal released the cheques worth Rs7.3 million for payment of salary to 120 teaching and 159 non-teaching staff appointed on contract basis as well as for provision of furniture in 29 colleges of Karachi.
He distributed the cheques among the principals of respective colleges at a ceremony held at Civic Centre.—APP/PPI
