KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has approved Rs9.282 billion for the urgent repair and maintenance of roads and allied infrastructure in Karachi’s industrial areas.

In his meeting with representatives of Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI), Sindh Industrial Trading Estate (SITE), Bin Qasim Association of Trade & Industry (BQATI) and the Landhi Association of Trade & Industry (LATI), the CM reviewed progress and finalised a roadmap for the development and rehabilitation of basic infrastructure across all industrial zones of the city.

He approved the funds, including Rs2bn for the SITE Association of Trade & Industry, Rs700 million for both phases of SITE Superhighway, Rs721.74m for the North Karachi Association of Trade & Industry (NKATI), Rs860.55m for the F.B. Area Association of Trade & Industry, Rs2bn for LATI, Rs2bn for KATI (including the Pakistan Tanners Association) and Rs1bn for the BQATI.

“I want you to start development works from Monday and complete them within six months so that another similar development package can be given to industrial areas,” he said.

Funding will be arranged through infrastructure development cess, Murad tells industrialists

The meeting, held at the CM House, was attended by Minister for Industries Jam Ikram Dharejo, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, Zubair Motiwala, Zahid Saeed, Muhammad Ikram, Zubair Chhaya, Faisal Moiz, Rayyan Ashraf, Zain Bashir, Ahmad Azeem, Shakeel Ashraf, Sheikh Tahseen and others.

The meeting was briefed on the first-phase proposal, amounting to Rs9.282bn, for the urgent repair and maintenance of roads and allied infrastructure in Karachi’s industrial areas. The plan has been rationalised after extensive

consultations led by the Karachi commissioner, in line with the chief minister’s directions, to ensure equitable, need-based allocations for each zone.

The chief minister said that the scheme will be financed through the Infrastructure Development Cess collected by the Excise & Taxation Department, a substantial portion of which has been accumulated from Karachi’s industrial zones. Industrialists emphasised that, in line with past practice, execution and disbursement should be carried out through a grant-in-aid rather than an Annual Development Programme scheme to ensure faster implementation.

The CM reaffirmed the provincial government’s commitment to strengthening Karachi’s industrial base, noting that improved infrastructure is critical for productivity, exports, and employment generation. The meeting concluded with consensus that timely rehabilitation of industrial infrastructure will significantly ease logistics, reduce business costs, and restore investor confidence in Karachi.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2025