Administrator Karachi, Barrister Murtaza on Saturday laid the foundation stone for the reconstruction of main road of Shahrah-e- Noorjahan at a cost of Rs 1.3 billion.”The two-lane road will be constructed from Abdullah Girls College to Qalandaria Chowk. A 4.288 km two lane road’s width will be 11 metre. Service roads will also be constructed along main road while drainage system, sewerage and street lights will also be installed,” the Administrator said this while addressing a ceremony to lay the foundation stone.
The function was also attended by Deputy Commissioner Central District Taha Saleem, PPP Central District President Masroor Ahsan, General Secretary Dil Muhammad, Information Secretary Shehzad Majeed, local leaders and a large number of citizens.
Addressing the gathering, the Administrator Karachi said that no representative of PPP was elected from this area. He said that the Solid Waste Management Board has started its work for cleaning the areas.
“The garbage problem has been resolved in Nazimabad zone, and in the next two months the problem of cleanliness issue will be resolved in other areas too,” he added. The Administrator said that 28 parks have been renovated and opened to the public which has been deserted for years and turned into rubbish bins.
He said that similarly 17 roads are being constructed in the site area, a flyover and an underpass will be constructed at Johar Chowrangi in District East to solve the traffic problems.Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that Karachi Medical and Dental College, which used to be the pride of Central District, could not be converted into a university in the past.
He said that he kept his promise and formal approval has been sought from the cabinet to upgade the college into a university. He said”A bill to make the university from the provincial assembly will be passed by the PPP government and it will be given the status of Karachi Metropolitan University.”
“As an Administrator, I am constructing ZOT protective wall at a cost of Rs. 280 million. KMC is constructing a road from Machli Chowk to KANUPP at a cost of Rs. 850 million. There is no restriction on KMC spending its funds, in the past there has been no focus on increasing KMC’s revenue,” he added.
The Administrator was of the view that donors were not sought and no attention was paid to public-private partnership in the past which severely affected development work in Karachi. Barrister Murtaza Wahab while answering the questions asked by the media representatives said that in the coming days, the decision of the mayor will be made by the people of Karachi, requesting the people to decide after looking at the work.
He said that work was underway on amendments to the powers of the mayor and municipal laws, adding that a unanimous decision would be taken soon. He said”No matter how difficult the situation is, the country will be taken out of it. He said that we PPP is trying to make local bodies work better.”
Responding to another question, the Administrator Karachi said “Drainage works have been started before the arrival of monsoon season and the cleaning of these drains will be completed ahead of rains.” Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that a meeting was held with all the stakeholders in this regard on Friday and all the institutions were directed to work beyond the territorial boundaries and give results.
“Hopefully, like last year, this year too, the citizens will not face any hardships in the rainy season,” he concluded.
