Collaboration necessary for development in Karachi: Asad Umar

Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar has said that all parties need to work together for development in Karachi.

Addressing a press conference in the port city alongside Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah, Federal Information Technology Minister Amin-ul-Haque, and other ministers, Umar said that the citizens of Karachi were looking to the province and the Centre for development in the city.

Talking about Green Line project, the minister said that the project was nearing completion, while, the Karachi Circular Railway would also be completed before the ML1.

"Sindh government has the right to remove encroachments" — not the federal government, the planning minister clarified.

Commenting on the coronavirus vaccine, he said that Pakistan hasn’t placed any an order for the vaccine. "We have not lied to the nation about vaccine procurement."

He added that the vaccine will reach Pakistan "by March".

On the other hand, Chief Minister said that both the federal and provincial governments, after the Karachi rains that had wreaked havoc in the city, came up with a comprehensive plan to drain water.

To begin with, work started on the Mehmoodabad nullah, in which 205 houses were broken or completely leveled to clear the nullah.

He said that the Supreme Court had ordered the National Disaster Management to do the work, however, the Frontier Works Organisation had started the task, and before monsoon, works on all the nullahs would be completed.

Furthermore the CM said that the provincial government's officials had expressed their reservations over the census during the meeting.