KARACHI: The Sindh government on Thursday sought recommendations to create new districts in the province including Karachi.
A meeting of the Sindh cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah approved to make Keamari Town the seventh district of the city.
The cabinet recommended to include SITE, Baldia and Harbour into district Keamari and also proposed making Maripur a new district. There are currently seven sub-divisions in District West, the second-largest district in Sindh population-wise.
The chief minister proposed to rename District South in Karachi. He suggested that districts should be named after popular areas. The cabinet also put forward a suggestion to divide Khairpur into two districts.
Regarding the local government institutions, the chief minister said that Sindh was the only province where local government institutions have completed a five-year term. He said the Sindh government allowed Mayor Waseem Akhtar to work freely with all resources and supported him for the uplift of Karachi
The chief minister said that the provincial government was working on a new local government system and will make new amendments. The Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) has opposed the formation of a new district in Karachi.
With the addition of a new district, the number of the administrative districts has gone up from six to seven including South, West, East, Central, Malir, Korangi and Keamari districts.
District South Karachi comprises seven sub-divisions including Saddar, Arambagh, Civil Line, Garden, Lyari, Harbour and Maripur. District East Karachi consists of four sub-divisions including Ferozabad, Jamshed Quarters, Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Gulzar-e-Hijri Scheme-33.
District Malir Karachi comprising six sub-divisions including Bin Qasim, Ibrahim Hydri, Shah Mureed, Gadap, Airport and Murad Memon village.