Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (Retd) Maqbool Baqar presided over a decisive meeting on the Karachi Safe City Project. In principle, he approved the project subject to the rationalization of the rates of different equipment and software and the payment of taxes. “I want to start work on the much delayed and needed project, but as the custodian of public funds, it is my responsibility to ensure transparent utilization.Therefore, the NRTC must satisfy me and my team regarding the estimates,” CM said, and constituted a technical committee under Secretary Home Iqbal Memon to evaluate equipment prices and compare them with the market price.
The committee would select its technical members from universities, and they would be empowered to delete duplications and insert missing items. However, the Chairman of P&D, ShakilMangnejo, would continue his sessions with the NRTC team on different components of the project and their prices. The chief minister discussed every item and its cost with the NRTC representatives, and they agreed to reduce the cost of the equipment and software and delete the items included in duplication.
“In principle, we have decided to approve the PC-I [by the P&D], but even then, a technical committee, to be selected from the universities’ experts headed by the Home Secretary, would evaluate the rates of the equipment and submit their proposals within the next 15 days,” the CM decided.
The meeting was attended by Minister Home Brig (R )Haris Nawaz, Chairman P&D Shakil Mangejo, Secretary Home Iqbal Memon, IG Sindh Riffat Mukhtar, Secretary Local Govt Manzoor Shaikh, Secretary Finance Kazim Jatoi, DG Sindh Safe City Authority Asif Aijaz Shaikh, NRTC representatives and other concerned officers.
The project was conceived in July 2016, and the Home Department had selected a firm to prepare the PC-I/RFP. In December 2020, an MOU was signed between NRTC and Sindh Safe Cities Authority for the installation of 10,000 cameras. Chairman P&D Shakil Mangejo told the CM that the NRTC has submitted a modified PC-I with them [P&D] of Rs48 billion.
Under the PC-I 10,000 new high-definition cameras would be installed, apart from the upgradation of 2000 existing cameras. This entire process of installation and upgradation would be completed in five phases. 12As per the PC-I, out of 10,000 cameras, 10,44 would be installed in the Red Zone and Airport corridor, 2,425 in South, Malir& East, 2,250 in Malir, City, and Central, 2,150 in Korangi, City, and West, and 1875 in Korangi areas in five phases.
It was also decided that the NRTC would drop the rate of foreign consultancy, and project management, however, the item regarding NRTC Administration would be re-negotiated and examined in detail. The CM said that the NRTC has increased the rate of `video enhancement software’ to Rs84 million was unreasonable and would be re-negotiated by the Chairman P&D and even in the technical committee. The Technical and Financial committee would also evaluate and examine the Fusion Software tools and submit their recommendations within 15 days.
The CM warned that if any items come to the surface at a later stage which were not discussed in the meeting, they would be discussed and incorporated.
