Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi Hafiz Naeemur Rahman said that the problems of urban population and industrial areas are interrelated, for the solution of which the improvement and maintenance of infrastructure is necessary first. Karachi is the economic artery and economic hub of the country, a single chain of command and an empowered mayor can solve the problems.
During the tenure of Nimatullah Khan Advocate, the process of construction and development was started with effective planning and vision which stopped after him. Jamaat-e-Islami will resume the journey of construction and development after the success in the local body elections.
He expressed these views while visiting the office of Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) and meeting and talking with the office bearers of KATI. In the meeting, Kati President Farazur Rahman, Chairman and CEO Muhammad Zubair Chaya, and others were also present.Hafiz Naeemur Rahman said that Karachi is the capital of Pakistan and the city of everyone living here and we all have the responsibility to build and develop it together. Karachi runs the economy of the entire country, but unfortunately it is not run properly.
Not only the urban population of Karachi but also the industrial areas are suffering from serious problems and difficulties. Both the people and the industries of Karachi are affected by the problems of electricity, water, gas and transport. The PPP has been in power continuously for about 15 years in Sindh, the Nawaz League, PTI and the PPP itself have been in power in the federation, but no concrete and serious steps and efforts have been taken to solve the problems of the people and industries of Karachi in any period of government.
He further said that the roads in the industrial areas of the city are dilapidated, transport is not available, and millions of workers come daily to the factories, which are their source of livelihood. The industries of Karachi should get electricity, water and gas according to their needs. Hafiz Naeem said that transport is a big and important problem of the city. Sindh government has brought only few buses in 15 years. With the help of the federal government, a Green Line project was made after a delay of 6 years, which has been incomplete for a year.
The Orange Line project is a proof of the government’s incompetence, which has not actually benefited the people, now the Red Line project is also becoming a nuisance for the people instead of being useful due to poor planning and incompetence.
To solve the transport problems of Karachi, it is necessary to ensure the implementation of Nimatullah Khan’s mass transit system and light train system here. Only then will the entire population of the city have access to better and respectable transportation.
The causeway in Korangi Industrial Area was also constructed by the industrialists under their own help, which needs to be repaired and rebuilt after every rain. The Sindh government has made announcements regarding the Jam Sadiq bridge and the new track, but the way the budget of billions of rupees is being spent in the name of lining the roads in the city, due to substandard materials and poor construction, the roads are breaking down as soon as they are built.
He said that K4 project has been stalled for 17 years, the capacity of the project started during the time of Nimatullah Khan was 650 million gallons which was later reduced to 260 million gallons. None of the ruling parties and governments has made any practical effort to complete this while for this utility it is necessary to increase the water quota of Karachi.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, when he assured the implementation of the agreement made with Jamaat-e-Islami regarding the powers and resources of the local bodies, when he came to Noor Haq Institution, he promised that even if the water quota of Karachi is increased, he would will talk to the federation, but unfortunately, neither this agreement was fully implemented nor steps were taken to solve the water problem.
