Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (retd) MaqboolBaqar has directed the Planning & Development Department to work in close coordination with WAPDA so that the K-IV project can be completed. He said that he wanted to improve the overall security through the Safe City project and the lining of KB Feeder and supply of an additional 65 water would quench the thirst of this water-starved city of Karachi to some extent. This he said while presiding over a meeting of the P&D department here at CM House.
The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Dr. FakhreAlam, Chairman P&D ShakeelMangnijo, PSCM Hassan Naqvi, Secretary Finance KazimJatoi, Secretary Rehabilitation ParvezSihar, DG PDMA Salman Shah, and others. Chairman P&D told the CM that the K-IV Phase-I for 260 MGD to cost around Rs126 billion and the WAPDA authorities were executing it. He added that the federal government has allocated Rs15 billion in its PSDP. The CM said that the P&D must play its role so that the amount allocated in the PSDP could not only be released but utilized by carrying out quality work, otherwise, the project would linger on further.
The Chairman of P&D ShakeelMangnijo said that he would remain in close coordination with the K-IV project team of WAPDA to keep work on the project could be sped up by removing its bottleneck, if any. The CM said that the K-IV was the most important project for the city and it must be completed as soon as possible. Another federal PSDP project that came under discussion was the Improvement of the KB Feeder System and the extension of Keenjhar Lake.
The CM was told that it was being executed by WPDA at a cost of Rs75.56 billion for which Rs3 billion have been allocated by the federal government in the current financial year. MaqboolBaqar directed the P&D dept to monitor the execution of important projects such as Safe City, the Lining of KB Feeder, the supply of 65 MGD additional water to the city, and the reconstruction of school buildings damaged by the floods of 2022. Chairman P&D told the CM that the Safe City Project has been launched with a cost of Rs10,000 million for which this year Rs4500 million have been allocated.
At this, the CM said that the Safe City project would be most important in the resolution of criminal cases and in maintaining law and order in the city. He directed the P&D dept to monitor its executive and sped it up so that it could be completed. Another project that came under discussion was the provision of 65 MGD additional water supply (Phase-I) to Karachi for Rs9146.4 million. The CM said that the allocation of Rs50 million for the current financial year was not enough. He added that more funds could be managed if the work was accelerated.
The CM directed P&D to coordinate with the water board to expedite the work on the 65 MGD additional water supply scheme. The lining of the KB Feeder is again an important project that would reduce line losses of the water being provided to the city through the feeder. The CM was told that the project has been launched for Rs23007 million and the government has allocated Rs3000 million this year.
The CM said that the allocation for the project was good but there was a need to accelerate the work for which he assigned the task to P&D. The CM directed P&D to get some schemes for the beautification of the city so that the look of the megalopolis city of Karachi could be uplifted.
