• Asks all civic agencies, stakeholders to mend their ways
• PM to be approached to remove bottlenecks in Red Line project
• Suspends two town municipal commissioners

KARACHI: Presenting a charge sheet against all civic agencies in the metropolis, caretaker Chief Minister retired Justice Maqbool Baqar on Friday said that no government department was working in the interest of the city and its people.

“Roads are in dilapidated condition, footpaths encroached, water is being stolen, public transport is not properly regulated, gutters are overflowing, garbage is not being lifted, streetlights are out of order, while people have no water to drink,” he shared his observation during a meeting of all federal, provincial and local governments stakeholders.

“Karachi is one of the largest cities of the world, but our civic agencies have left no stone unturned to deface it,” he said, adding that the agencies responsible for providing civic services in the city keep fighting on the issue of jurisdiction and the condition of the city keep deteriorating day by day.“

“This is intolerable,” he told participants of the meeting including Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, Commissioner Saleem Rajput, chiefs of Karachi Development Authority, Lyari Development Authority, Malir Development Authority, Solid Waste Management Board and K-Electric, representatives of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation, cantonments boards, cable operators, deputy commissioners and others.

He directed all stakeholders to resolve the issue of jurisdiction and mend their ways so that the issues of the city in terms of provision of water, cleanliness, fixing of overflowing gutters, repairing of dilapidated roads, streets, footpaths and streetlights could be resolved.

Red Line delays

The meeting also discussed the progress on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Red Line project.

It was pointed out in the meeting that the slowness in the construction of the BRT Red Line project, a key mass transit project in the city, had created a mess in the entire area from Malir Cantt to Hassan Square.

The meeting was informed that entire road was dug up and traffic jams had become a serious problem.

The CM was told that the revised PC-I of the project had been sent to the federal government for approval from the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec).

The ECNEC has caused delays due to which the project had become an issue for the residents of the areas. The people living in the vicinity of the BRT Red Line corridor, including Old Sabzi Market, Hassan Square, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Baitul Mukaram Masjid, Nipa Chowrangi, Karachi University, Mosimayat, and Safora Goth were facing hardships due to the slow progress of the project, the CM was told.

Expressing concern over the delay in completion of the project, Justice Baqar decided to approach the prime minister for approval of the revised PC-1 of the project.

He directed his principal secretary to talk to the Planning Commission and said that he would write a letter to the prime minister with the request to consider the problems of the people of the area and approved the PC-I

The CM suspended Baldia Town’s Town Municipal Commissioner Imdad Shah for his deliberate absence from the meeting.

He also transferred Mauripur TMC Javed Qamar for his failure to improve the conditions of his area.

The issue of incomplete work on a Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) crossing in Gulshan-i-Iqbal Block 13-D also came under discussion.

The meeting was informed that the incomplete structure had created traffic issues for the people.

The CM directed the transport secretary to talk to the contractors to complete the work.

Mayor Wahab told the CM that Scheme-33 had no sewerage system and was still deprived of facilities such as carpeting of the roads and walkways.

The CM directed the mayor and the concerned TMC to improve the condition of Scheme 33 and ensure regular sweeping and lifting of garbage.

He directed the mayor to get a project worked out for providing all the facilities, including water and sewerage, for Scheme -33.

The KWSC representative informed the CM that the Lyari pumping station faced severe loadshedding due to which disposal of wastewater remained a challenge.

He said that when the KWSB requested the KE to declare the Lyari pumping stations loadshedding free, the KE sent them a bill of Rs90 million as a condition to provide uninterrupted power supply. At this, the CM directed the KE to resolve the issue.

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2023