CHIEF SECRETARY, LG MINISTER CHAIRS REVIEW MEETING ON KARACHI ISSUES
Karachi August 08: Sindh Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah and Provincial Minister for Local Government Syed Nasir Hussain Shah on Friday co-chaired a high-level meeting to review Karachi’s pressing civic and infrastructure challenges, including traffic congestion, encroachments, roads infrastructure, water and sewerage problems, solid waste management and illegal construction.
The meeting was attended by the Mayor of Karachi, Chairman Planning and Development Board, Commissioner Karachi, Additional Chief Secretary Local Government, Director General Sindh Building Control Authority, Principal Secretary to the Governor of Sindh, Secretary Inter-Provincial Coordination, Capital City Police Officer Karachi, DIG Traffic, managing directors of the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board and Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation, Director General Sindh Food Authority, Municipal Commissioner KMC and Director General Karachi Development Authority.
The chief secretary said Karachi’s challenges could not be resolved through isolated departmental action and called for a unified, time-bound strategy. He directed the departments concerned to clearly identify their responsibilities, set realistic deadlines and nominate focal persons to ensure regular coordination and follow-up. He stressed that chronic problem areas should be mapped and addressed through permanent solutions instead of short-term campaigns. He also called for better coordination between utility providers and development agencies so that newly constructed or repaired roads were not repeatedly dug up for water, sewerage or other utility work.
Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said the provincial government was committed to improving municipal services and accelerating infrastructure development in Karachi. He asked local government bodies and civic agencies to strengthen field monitoring and ensure that the impact of public spending was visible in the form of better roads, cleaner neighbourhoods and improved water and sewerage services.
The Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab briefed the meeting on the city’s key municipal challenges and the measures being taken to address them. He assured full cooperation in implementing the decisions taken at the meeting.
The meeting reviewed encroachments on roads, footpaths, storm-water drains and public land. It was decided that anti-encroachment operations should be conducted in a coordinated manner. Officials were asked to develop an effective mechanism to prevent re-encroachment after clearance operations.