KARACHI: A meeting of the Sindh-Centre committee on Saturday decided to remove encroachments from stormwater drains in Karachi from Monday and to expedite work on the federal developmental projects in other parts of the province, reported The News.
The newly formed committee also reviewed the developmental issues in the metropolis and the rest of the province and discussed the issues related to the ongoing work to clean Karachi's stormwater drains.
The committee decided to remove encroachments from the stormwater drains of the city. Provincial minister Nasir Hussain Shah told the meeting that the operation to remove encroachments from drains where people were not living, would start from Monday.
In the case of residential encroachments, those living there would be first provided with alternate accommodation, before launching the anti-encroachment operation, he clarified.
The provincial ministers also raised the issue of the slow pace of work to construct the Jamshoro- Sehwan section of the Indus Highway despite payment of Rs7 billion by the provincial government as its share to develop the highway.
The meeting decided to expedite the pace of work on the under-construction portion of Indus Highway. Shah informed the meeting about the lining of the KB Feeder Canal in District Thatta, which would save water from being lost.
Federal Ministers Asad Umar and Ali Zaidi also met a delegation of PTI MNA, MPAs elected from Karachi and briefed them about the committee meeting. The delegation comprised Leader of Opposition in Sindh Assembly Firdous Shamim Naqvi, Parliamentary Leader Haleem Adil Sheikh, Khurram Sherzaman, Aftab Siddiqui, Jamal Siddiqui, Sidra Imran and others.
Umar said that the committee’s goal was to work for Karachi and its citizens. He added that Karachi was facing many problems and the federal government was taking serious steps to resolve them.
The federal minister added that the projects finalised in the Federal-Sindh government Coordination Committee were also discussed in the meeting. “The committee would work on six main sectors of transport, water, sewerage, solid waste, storm drains, road construction on a priority basis,” he said, adding that the federal and provincial secretaries of the Planning and Development department will supervise those projects.
“Everyone will work together for the development of Karachi because the development of Pakistan is critically linked to the development of the city,” Umar remarked.
Zaidi said virtually every issue of Karachi was politicised and “no one ever seriously addressed the problems due to which the country's economic hub is mired in problems.”
“Prime Minister Imran Khan is paying special attention to Karachi and we are trying to solve the problems of the city in accordance with his directives. The citizens of Karachi have given their mandate to PTI which is the stakeholder of the city,” he said.
He added the Sindh government has done nothing besides making claims and promises. “Had they paid attention to the city generating over 70% revenue, the situation would have been entirely different today,” he added.