In order to improve physical and behavioural fitness of youngsters, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has decided to establish youth centres in all the districts of Karachi.
“Youth centres provide safe and supervised facilities for the youth to engage in educational and leisurely activities that encourage the growth of positive self-esteem,” he said during a meeting that he chaired on Wednesday to review development works launched in the city.
Shah said he has already directed the planning & development (P&D) department to prepare a project to establish youth centres in every district of the city where educational, social, sporting and family gatherings can be held in a safe and secure environment.
“We have a similar facility in the shape of the YMC Ground, but the new centres will have libraries, indoor and outdoor sporting facilities, tuck and coffee shops, film and drama screening facilities, and community gathering halls,” he said, adding that children need to be brought towards positive activities to secure their futures.
The CM was told that during the current financial year, Rs96 billion has been allocated in the Annual Development Programme (ADP) 2021-22 for Karachi: Rs56.5 billion for 644 projects, Rs35.3 billion provincial share for foreign-funded projects worth Rs215 billion, and Rs5 billion to fund district ADPs.
He was also told that under the Karachi Transformation Plan, 167 projects of water and sewerage treatment worth Rs101.28 billion are in progress, and that the allocation for the current financial year is Rs17.25 billion, of which Rs10.8 billion has been utilised.
Similarly, four projects of solid waste management worth Rs14.85 billion have been launched with an allocation of Rs1.9 billion, of which Rs390 million has been utilised.
The CM said the utilisation of funds on these projects is low, and directed the P&D department to get them expedited.
He was told that six projects of storm water drains worth Rs2.83 billion have been launched, with an allocation of Rs1.92 billion, while utilisation has been recorded at Rs390 million. A project of Rs42.85 billion has been launched to construct 125 internal roads. The government has allocated Rs19 billion, of which 15.29 billion has been utilised.
Similarly, five projects of transport department worth Rs149.36 billion have been launched, for which Rs8.3 billion has been utilised against an allocation of Rs26.91 billion for the year 2021-22.The CM directed Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab to complete the development of the Kakri Ground in Lyari within six months.
Wahab said work on the pavilion and the ground will be completed in time, but some other related works may take a little more time. He said the roads around the Machhli Market in Lyari are also under construction. He also said work on the Boat Basin Food Street has been started, and machinery has been mobilised to start development works in Sherpao Colony. The CM said he would visit the sites of the ongoing development works.
Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, CM’s Principal Secretary Fayaz Jatoi, Finance Secretary Sajid Jamal Abro, P&D board members Faisal Uqaili and Fatah Tunio, and other officers concerned also attended the meeting.
