KARACHI: The caretaker government of Sindh has decided to build apartments on land of Martin Quarters, Jamshed Quarters, Jahangir Quarters and Clayton Quarters after demolishing the decades-old buildings allotted to government employees.

The decision to this effect was taken in a meeting of the planning and development and the finance departments chaired by caretaker Sindh Chief Minister retired Justice Maqbool Baqar on Saturday.

The chief minister said that the affected people would be rehabilitated.

The chief minister approved the project of ‘urban regeneration’ to re-engineer the old quarters of Jahangir Quarters, Jamshed, Clayton, and Martin Quarters.

Interim CM promises rehabilitation of affected residents of Martin Quarters, Jamshed Quarters, Jahangir Quarters and Clayton Quarters

The meeting participants were told that the project would be completed with the participation of the World Bank and P&D and work on the feasibility of the project had already been started by the World Bank.

“New apartments to be constructed under the plan will have all essential facilities including shopping malls, offices, parking lots, libraries, parks and other spaces for education and health.”

The caretaker CM said that the new well-planned construction would not only beautify the area, but would also provide best accommodation to the people.

Some of the said quarters were established before the Partition.

The meeting was attended by chairman of P&D Shakeel Manijo, principal secretary to chief minister Hassan Naqvi, secretary of finance Kazim Jatoi, and others.

The CM directed the P&D department to expedite the implementation of the urban regeneration plan.

Baqar unhappy over city’s cleanliness

Caretaker Chief Minister Justice retired Maqbool Baqar has decided appointing municipal magistrates and inspectors in the city and ordered recovery of Sindh Solid Waste Management Board’s (SSWMB) outstanding dues against industrialists, along with an inquiry into allotment of a plot to a private person in the area reserved for landfill site at Jam Chakro.

He made these decisions while presiding over a meeting of SSWMB on Saturday at the CM House.

The CM said that he had visited the city twice but witnessed filth and garbage lying along the roads as well as in the greenbelt areas. He added that it was not acceptable and, therefore, the SSWMB must constitute teams to inspect cleanliness work weekly.

Justice Baqar said that the contracting firms were charging huge amounts of money for the services they were bound to provide, but due to weak inspection system or the lack of it, they were taking benefit.

Mayor Murtaza Wahab pointed out that builders dumped their debris along the roads in the metropolis, adding that shopkeepers and households also threw trash on the streets.

The CM decided to appoint municipal magistrates and inspectors so they could keep checking the cases of garbage throwing and dumping of debris on the roads and penalise the delinquents. He added that the magistrates would also be empowered to check the cases of wall chalking.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2023