July 19, 2007	Thursday	Rajab 03, 1428

KARACHI, July 18: A high-level meeting at the Governor’s House, with Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan in the chair, discussed issues pertaining to the proposed Karachi Mega-City Development Project, as well as development plans for other cities in Sindh.

The proposed project will be launched with an $800 million loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The governor instructed the officials concerned to settle the issues with the ADB in this regard.

The meeting was told that besides the $800m loan, another $13.33m loan would be obtained from the ADB for ‘technical assistance.’

This technical assistance concerns the organisational development and capacity building of mega city planning, the Karachi city district government, town municipal administrations and other civic agencies. It is expected that the agreement regarding the loan will be signed in September 2007.

The meeting was told that the setting up of an advisory support and strategic planning unit in mega city planning was also part of the project. It was told that 34 local and foreign consultants were hired for planning of various sectors and a road map up to 2020 had been prepared.

In the first phase, projects of two water filtration plants, a bus rapid transit system, urban traffic control system and five garbage transfer stations would be initiated.

Sindh Minster for Planning and Development Shoaib Bukhari, Finance Adviser M.A. Jalil, Chief Secretary Aijaz Qureshi, DCO Javed Hanif and others were present.