KARACHI: Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar has asserted that the Centre has stepped forward and was trying to address Karachi’s legitimate complaints and grievances.
The statement came while addressing a ceremony at Governor House in Karachi for the handover of 50 fire tenders to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC). The fire tenders had arrived in Karachi last month to boost the city’s fire emergency system.
“Karachi is not an ordinary city. It has provided many resources to the rest of the country but has not been given its rights,” he said, adding that the federal government was going above and beyond its constitutional responsibility in spearheading many development projects in Karachi.
He said that Governor Sindh Imran Ismail and Prime Minister Imran Khan had themselves taken a personal interest in these operations. “The premier calls meetings and pressures all of us that we live up to the expectations of the people of Karachi for development projects,” he added.
Giving updates on the development projects, he said that a meeting had been called for a revised schedule of the Greater Karachi Water Supply Scheme (K-IV project) since the timeline given for October 2023 was not accepted.
The Planning Minister also said that a consultant had been appointed for the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) and there was similar swiftness in removing encroachments from stormwater drains as well.
