Karachi’s issues remain unresolved even if federal, provincial governments spend all resources: Saeed Ghani
Irfan Ali
Karachi’s issues remain unresolved even if
federal, provincial governments spend all resources: Saeed Ghani
Karachi Local Government
Minister, Saeed Ghani, has said the civic issues of Karachiites couldn’t be
completely resolved even if all the financial resources available with the
federal and provincial governments are spent for this cause given the massive
size of Karachi which is one of the largest cities in the world.
The Local Government Minister stated this on
Saturday while talking to media persons here outside the office of Provincial
Election Commissioner Sindh.
Ghani said that the civic problems of Karachi
had never been resolved up to 100 per cent in the past given that it was one of
the largest cities in the world. “Nor I am in a position now to give any
timeline for resolving all problems in Karachi,” he said.
He, however, said the Sindh government of
Pakistan Peoples Party in the last couple of years had invested much to improve
the civic infrastructure of the city.
“We have built many streets, and roads, and
completed many other works but this doesn’t mean that we are satisfied today as
a lot more could be invested on Karachi’s infrastructure,” he said.
The Local Government Minister said the Sindh
government had been ensuring the best possible utilisation of the resources
available to it for resolving the problems in Karachi.
“If one tries to search for a solution to
problems in Karachi then these issues would perhaps remain unresolved if one
spent all the resources available with the federal and provincial governments,”
he said.
He said the Sindh government had adopted the
mode of public-private partnership to launch many development projects in the
city.
Ghani informed media persons that the Sindh
government in partnership with the concerned international organisations and
foreign donor agencies that provided assistance for improving civic
infrastructure had launched several projects in Karachi including Yellow Line
and Red Line sections of BRTS, improvement of water and sewerage systems,
CLICK, and SWEEP.
He mentioned that the Sindh Transport Minister
Sharjeel Inam Memon had given assurance at the introductory meeting of the new
Sindh cabinet that work would soon be restarted to build the corridor of the
Red Line section of the BRTS.
He said that there were certain unresolved
issues related to contractors engaged for the construction of the Red Line
corridor and the same would be resolved soon.
To a question, he said that no talks had taken
place so far between the PPP and Muttahida Quami Movement Pakistan on the
upcoming Senate elections in Sindh. But the chance of such negotiations before
the Senate polls couldn’t be ruled out as talks are a part of the normal
political process.
To another question, Ghani said that the
ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) was under an obligation to fulfil its
commitment with the MQM Pakistan to improve the system of municipal governance
in the country.
Answering another question, the Local
Government Minister said that MQM Pakistan should be asked the question
regarding the submission of the nomination papers by estranged PTI leader
Faisal Vawda to contest the Senate elections. He said that Vawda once held a
meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari but it didn’t mean that he had joined
the PPP.
