KARACHI, Nov 22: The City Government and its 18 Town Administrations will work together to make Karachi ‘green and beautiful’. On the directives of the DCO, Shafiqur Rehman Paracha, the Nazimeen have already started work in this regard.

Mr Paracha has started a ‘review visit’ on daily basis along with the concerned officials of parks, engineering and planning departments and respective town administrations for the purpose.

It has been decided that open areas along all the roads and thoroughfares will be beautified by growing grass there while vantage corners, islands and roundabouts will be beautified with proper planning and keeping in view the principles of engineering and horticulture.

The problems relating to damaged roads, insanitation, encroachments, and overflowing sewage will also be addressed to simultaneously.

The selection of at least one important road as model in each town has been finalized and the implementation of the scheme has commenced with the DCO’s detailed visit to Sharea-i-Faisal and Khayaban-i-Iqbal on Thursday.

During the visit, Mr Paracha directed the accompanying officials to identify problems and propose their solutions.

This scheme will be implemented in phases and the roads to be tackled in the first phase include Khayaban-i-Iqbal, Model Colony Road, Mauripur Road, 13-D Road Baldia Town, A-One Hospital Road Shah Faisal Town, Manghopir Road, Allama Shabbir Ahmed Usmani Road, M. A. Jinnah Road, Sharea-i-Faisal, Abul Hassan Ispahani Road, Sharea-i-Pakistan, Ibn-i-Sina Road, Shaheed-i-Millat Road and Rashid Minhas Road.

The DCO has appointed Fazal Memon, a senior officer of the city government as coordinating officer for the programme.

Mr Paracha, along with concerned officials, will visit each of the selected roads every day to review the situation and take decisions.

In his Thursday’s visit, he decided that the Teen Talwar, Schon Circle and Do Talwar roundabouts will be beautified with greenery and a better cleanliness and washing would be carried out.

He directed the officials that there should be no space without greenery along the roads, around the roundabouts and at the islands. He also asked for continuous maintenance of these spots. The DCO took notice of the unsatisfactory sanitary condition at Do Talwar roundabout.

In order to beautify Sharea-i-Faisal, cooperation of petrol pumps, car showrooms and other organizations will be obtained, he said.

During his visit to Shahrah-i-Quaideen on Friday, the DCO asked the the DO, Fazal Memon, and TMO of Jamshed Town, Shariq Ahmed, to remove cement-blocks makers from there as their presence could hamper the beautification efforts.

He also asked for the repair of the damaged footpaths of Shahrah-i-Quaideen and took notice of encroachments along certain portions of the road which were causing inconvenience to pedestrians. He ordered action in the regard.

Mr Paracha, during his visit to Kashmir Road, called for the beautification of the spot opposite the road-corner and an adjoining petrol pump.

He also visited University Road and ordered dismantling of the ramps raised by shopkeepers on footpaths there. He also observed the inconvenience faced by the pedestrians due to the parking of vehicles on footpaths. He noted that the shopkeepers along the footpaths had no awareness of maintaining sanitation in front of their shops. He asked the officials to make the shopkeepers observe the municipal laws.

It may be mentioned here that the re-organization of Parks Department had been decided at a recent meeting held under the chairmanship of the City Nazim, Naimatullah Khan.— PPI