ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar announced on Wednesday that a comprehensive plan will be unveiled within two weeks for the resumption of development work on different projects in Karachi.
Addressing a press conference, Umar said that the federal government wants to resolve the issues of the masses as soon as possible. He admitted that development work will not be politicised despite having political differences with the Sindh government.
“The federal government had sent National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) chairman [to Karachi] over Prime Minister Imran Khan’s orders after witnessing severe issues being faced by the Karachi’s citizens after the recent spell of monsoon rain,” he said.
He also said that Karachi is a ‘mini Pakistan’ which needs more attention. “We are continuing development work in Sindh despite having differences with the provincial government. A meeting was held with a delegation headed by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah where the federal and provincial governments agreed to initiate coordinated work in six sectors including supply of clean water and improvement in the sewerage system,” he added.
He further said that the federal and provincial governments have also agreed to jointly work for waste management in Karachi, besides cleaning the nullahs and removing encroachments. Some important roads will be constructed in Karachi and joint efforts will be made to introduce a model transport system, he added.
The minister said that different projects have already been designed for the metropolis. The federal and provincial authorities have constituted a six-member committee after deciding to resume development work on the projects, he added.
He said that the shortlisted projects will be supervised by the centre and other plans by the Sindh government, whereas consultations will be made regarding financial matters within two weeks.
He announced that one more meeting will be held in Karachi on Saturday to finalise a comprehensive plan for the development of the port city. Asad clarified that the accountability process will continue, besides the completion of development tasks in the country.
Earlier in the day, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah met Asad Umar to discuss issues related to Karachi. During the meeting, it was agreed to form a coordination committee. The meeting also discussed ways to resolve issues faced by the city.
The meeting was attended by federal ministers Ali Zaidi, Aminul Haque, NDMA Chairman Muhammad Afzal, Sindh Local Government, and Information Minister Nasir Hussain Shah, and Education Minister Saeed Ghani.
