KARACHI: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Sindh Assembly on Thursday expressed serious concern over the Sindh Master Plan Authority operating for the last six years without an act and a governing body, and directed that the authority’s act be approved by the provincial cabinet and assembly within two months.
The PAC meeting, chaired by Nisar Khuhro, reviewed audit paras relating to the Sindh Master Plan Authority, WASA Hyderabad and the Project Director Local Government Hyderabad.
The meeting was attended by committee members Taha Ahmed and Qasim Soomro, Local Government Secretary Wasim Shamshad, Senior Director of the Master Plan Authority and other officials.
The senior director informed the committee that the authority was created in 2020 but its act had not been enacted yet, and it was functioning under the existing town planning and regulations framework.
When asked whether the Sindh Development Plan 2020, notified for Karachi, was being implemented, the official said it was not.
The local government secretary told the PAC that the Master Plan Authority was separated from the Sindh Building Control Authority on court orders. He said the draft act of the authority was at a preparatory stage and would soon be presented to the provincial cabinet for approval.
Mr Khuhro said the authority must clarify what work it was doing for cities and rural areas and what master plans existed. “We want a survey of every city in Sindh, and areas both rural and urban that are not part of the city survey should be included so that people can benefit,” he said.
The PAC was informed that the authority was currently working in 14 districts of Sindh.
The LG secretary said that the governing body of the authority would be constituted after the act was approved by the cabinet and the assembly.
The PAC directed the Sindh Master Plan Authority to submit master plans for all districts of the province and ordered that the authority’s act be approved by the cabinet and the Sindh Assembly within two months.
The PAC chairman also took strong notice of the performance of WASA Hyderabad. Expressing displeasure over stagnant sewage water at Hyder Chowk, he asked the WASA CEO whether he had seen photographs of the issue published in Dawn and whether the water had been drained.
The CEO appeared unaware of the matter, prompting Mr Khuhro to direct him to immediately clear the sewage water from Hyder Chowk and improve the authority’s performance.
The PAC also took up a case regarding the Project Director Local Government Hyderabad awarding various contracts worth Rs841 million in Tharparkar without agreements.
Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2026
