Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has approved a comprehensive Karachi Transformation Plan, bringing the Frontier Works Organisation on board to execute major infrastructure and connectivity projects aimed at upgrading the city to international standards.
The approval was granted during a joint meeting of the FWO, the local government department, and the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation held at the CM House. The meeting was attended by Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah, Sindh Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab, Principal Secretary to the CM Agha Wasif, Karachi Commissioner Hassan Naqvi, Finance Secretary Fayaz Jatoi, and an FWO delegation led by Director General Major-General Abdul Sami.
According to an official statement, the chief minister announced a one-time grant-in-aid of Rs84.796 billion for 523 development schemes across Karachi. He further disclosed that Rs26.282 billion has been approved under the Federal Public Sector Development Programme for Karachi-related projects.
The chief minister said the Sindh government intends to implement a city-wide development roadmap and emphasised that all major schemes must be executed with quality, speed, and transparency. He stressed that planning and design standards for Karachi’s development projects should match those of leading global cities.
As part of the first phase, six priority infrastructure projects worth Rs10.72 billion have been approved for immediate execution in the Karachi division to ease traffic congestion, improve connectivity, and strengthen urban mobility.
These include rehabilitation of the M-9 to Malir-15 road via Jinnah Avenue and Shahrah-e-Faisal at a cost of Rs1.025 billion, construction of a right-turn underpass at Malir Halt from Printing Press to Shahrah-e-Faisal costing Rs1.5 billion, and a flyover from Airport Road to Star Gate on Shahrah-e-Faisal for Rs1.2 billion to improve access to the airport.
Other approved schemes include rehabilitation of the Y-Junction to Machli Chowk road in Hawksbay, including damaged sections from Masroor Base to Truck Stand, costing Rs1.995 billion, and construction of a flyover at Sohrab Goth for Rs5.0 billion, a key entry point for intercity traffic into Karachi.
Briefing the meeting, Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah and Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab said Karachi faces serious structural, environmental, and civic challenges due to its role as the country’s economic hub. They said 10 to 12 high-impact development schemes are being identified, with five already approved for early implementation.
The meeting was informed that a total of 523 schemes costing Rs84.796 billion have been proposed for the city. These include rehabilitation of internally damaged roads, improvements to traffic management systems, upgrading of major arteries and connecting roads, construction of flyovers and parks, and beautification of seven designated roads. The main executing agencies will be the KMC, Karachi Development Authority, Karachi Mega Schemes, and city government offices.
Mayor Murtaza said the schemes were finalised after field verification, departmental assessments, and consultations with stakeholders, with a focus on reducing congestion, improving airport and intercity connectivity, strengthening industrial and logistics routes, and enhancing civic infrastructure and urban aesthetics.
The chief minister directed that FWO engineers, along with officials from the local government department and KMC, finalise designs and identify utilities requiring relocation by the end of February so that construction work can commence in March.
Meanwhile, Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab laid the foundation stone for the Suparco Road rehabilitation project in Keamari district. The project, costing Rs56 million, includes 48,000 square feet of paver blocks and 65,000 square feet of asphalt wearing course and is aimed at improving traffic flow and public convenience in the area.
