KARACHI: Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab inaugurated development projects including road carpeting, sewerage, water supply and paver blocks in Kashmir Colony and Chanesar Town of District East.
Deputy Mayor Karachi Salman Abdullah Murad, Parliamentary Leader in KMC City Council Karamullah Waqasi, Deputy Parliamentary Leader Dil Muhammad, District President Iqbal Sand, Town Chairman Farhan Ghani, UC Chairman Hamid, elected representatives and party workers were also present.
Addressing the ceremony on Tuesday, the Mayor said that under the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, the road carpeting project in UC 1 to 6 of District East has been completed as a part of the Annual Development Program 2024–25. He said that the total cost of the project is Rs 154 million. Under the project, major steps were taken to improve the sewerage system, including the installation of a 12-inch diameter sewerage line of 3,160 RFT and a 15-inch diameter sewerage line of 6,969 RFT.
He said that installation of a water supply line was also part of the project to improve water provision in the area, under which a 225 mm diameter water line of 295 RFT has been laid. Paver block work was also carried out for the improvement of streets and roads, and street paving covering 323,698 square feet was completed using 60 mm natural colour paver blocks.
The Mayor said that asphalt carpeting has also been carried out on major roads and 51,161 square feet of roads have been asphalted under the project. KMC has included projects for road carpeting and the provision of basic facilities in UCs of District East.
The Mayor said that development work in Karachi is continuing at a rapid pace in accordance with the manifesto of the Pakistan Peoples’ Party and the commitments made by Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. He said that residents of Kashmir Colony will be provided further relief in the coming days and the basic issues of the area are being addressed on a priority basis. He said that an important scheme for the construction of a main road with an estimated cost of about Rs200 million has been approved by Provincial Minister Saeed Ghani. Another scheme worth Rs210 million has been approved for the improvement of streets and sewerage lines in Chanesar Town, Mahmoodabad, Kashmir Colony and Azam Basti, and work on it will start after Eid.
He said that Baloch Colony Expressway, which was previously in a severely damaged condition, has been improved, while the roads around Nursery have also been up-graded.
The Mayor said that measures are also being taken to improve the drain on Korangi Road to resolve rainwater drainage issues. He said that the current year is the year of completion of development projects in Karachi. Development schemes worth Rs46 billion are underway in the city, along with projects worth approximately Rs5.5 billion, while an additional Rs13 billion will be spent to improve streets and neighbourhoods of Karachi.
He said that the Pakistan Peoples’ Party will fulfil the promises made in its manifesto and provide better basic facilities to the citizens of Karachi.
Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that Jamaat-e-Islami claims that development schemes are not included in the development program and that resources are not available. However, if they say that the Gulberg road has been constructed, then funds must have been arranged from somewhere. He said that Shahrah-e-Noor Jehan was constructed by the Pakistan Peoples’ Party but associates of Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman installed a board thanking Jamaat-e-Islami. There should not be double standards in development work and public resources should be spent transparently.
He said that instead of politics of criticism and prejudice, a positive approach should be adopted so that the city can progress. All political parties must take practical steps to resolve Karachi’s issues. Political parties should focus on solving public problems instead of publicity campaigns.
Addressing Naeem-ur-Rehman, he said that if a publicity campaign has to be run, he should be informed first, as pictures are displayed at the city’s entry and exit points instead of maps.
Mayor Karachi said that the increase in petroleum product prices directly affects the life of the common man because when fuel prices rise, the prices of other essential commodities also increase. He said that the Prime Minister of Pakistan has recently taken some important decisions and further details will emerge about their effects. He said that reports indicate an increase of up to Rs55 in petroleum product prices, which is a matter of serious concern for the common man. He said that such a sudden increase in petroleum prices is rarely seen in other countries. He said that the Pakistan Peoples’ Party immediately condemned the increase in petroleum product prices because it pushes the public into a spiral of inflation.
He said that due to the economic challenges facing the country, sometimes difficult decisions have to be taken, but public interest must remain the top priority in such decisions. He reaffirmed that the Pakistan Peoples’ Party will continue to raise its voice for the rights and interests of the people.
On this occasion, Deputy Mayor Karachi Salman Abdullah Murad said that the Pakistan Peoples’ Party believes in practical work and is fulfilling promises made to the public by completing development projects in the city. Representatives of Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari always remain among the people and continue efforts to resolve civic issues. He said that the leadership of the Pakistan Peoples’ Party is serious about the development and welfare of Karachi, which is why the pace of development work in the city has been accelerated. He said that this year will prove to be a game-changer for the opponents because the public can see who is actually working for the betterment of the city.
He said that some elements try to undermine the city on political grounds, whereas the reality is that Karachi is the economic hub of Pakistan and the capital of Sindh. All stakeholders must work together for the development of the city so that problems can be solved through collective efforts.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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