KARACHI: Mayor Murtaza Wahab on Tuesday announced that all charged parking contracts will be terminated on June 30.

“Moving forward, there will be no parking contracts and all institutions, including the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, will cease charged parking operations,” he said after inaugurating the Kidney Hill Chlorination Pumping Station.

He also highlighted that parking is a major issue on I.I. Chundrigar Road. He noted that Pakistan Railways (PR) owns most of the land.

In 1995, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto allocated the railway’s backyard to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) for parking, but PR has not handed over the land to the PSX to date, he added.

About his letter to the Sindh governor, Mr Wahab mentioned that he had cordial relations with Kamran Tessori and he had been his lawyer in the past.

Says 29 chlorination centres will become operational after Ramazan

He added that the governor responded positively to his letter and expressed hope that the governor would also help in securing funds from the federal government.

The mayor reiterated their commitment to working together to resolve the city’s issues.

Chlorination centres

The mayor also announced that 29 chlorination centres are being established in the city at a cost of Rs290 million to protect citizens from waterborne diseases.

He explained that adding chlorine to the water will help control diseases such as Naegleria fowleri. The remaining 29 chlorination centres in various areas of Karachi will become operational after Ramazan, he added.

The mayor stated that a plan had been prepared to treat 35 MGD (million gallons per day) of water at the Gutter Baghicha site.

He said that 14 companies had shown interest in the desalination project and work on the plant will commence soon.

Responding to a question, he revealed that their anti-encroachment team was fired upon last night. He stated that whenever they attempt to clear encroachments from roads, they face gunfire.

He questioned the absence of the Preedy police during the incident, expressing his disappointment with the station’s administration for failing to play its role.

Acknowledging that drug trafficking and smuggling remain persistent issues in the city, he urged the police to maintain law and order.

Deputy Mayor Salman Abdullah Murad, Karamullah Waqasi and others were also present.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2025