KARACHI: Chief Minis­ter Syed Murad Ali Shah, chairing a meeting of the ministers and officials concerned at CM House on Thursday, decided to deve­lop Nahr-i-Khayyam in Clif­ton into a one-kilometre-long canal for boating and beautify its surroundings to serve as a recreational spot.

The meeting was told that Nahr-i-Khayyam — a storm-water drain — would have clean water and boats would be brought in for the general public to enjoy a ride between Boat Basin and Clifton.

Another plan discussed at the meeting was beautification of Sharea Faisal betw­een Jinnah terminal and Hotel Metropole.

Under the plan, the colour scheme of the buildings standing along both sides of the arterial road would be made uniform with a little contrast.

Beautification plan for Sharea Faisal also being prepared

According to a spokesman for the CM, a treatment plant would be installed at Shaheed Benazir Park to supply clean water to the canal. The recreation spot will comprise a park, a walking track and benches as well as food and drinks stalls.

The meeting was atten­d­ed by Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, CM’s principal secretary Sajid Jamal Abro, secretaries of the LG and fin­ance departments, and Kar­a­chi Commissioner Iftikhar Shallwani.

Architect Shahid Abdul­lah was assigned the task of chalking out detailed plans in consultation with architects, donors and environmentalists to execute the projects on a public-private partnership basis. The plans would then be presented to the CM for approval and implementation.

Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2019