KARACHI: Sindh Safe Cities Authority approached the Sindh government for the approval and release of Rs3.81 billion for the establishment of the Sindh Safe Cities Project (Phase-I), Karachi.
Through a letter, Sindh Safe Cities Authority’s DG Asif Aijaz Shaikh submitted that the administrative approval of the Annual Development Program (ADP) Scheme ‘Establishment of Sindh Safe Cities Project (Phase-I), Karachi’ under Karachi Safe City Project was approved by Planning and Development (P&D) Department, on January 8, 2024, amounting to Rs6,621 million.
The letter added that Draft Release Order (DRO) of the amount equaling to Rs3.81 billion has been prepared as per the approved ADP Scheme from the allocated budget for smooth and timely completion of the project in red zone and airport areas. The authority needed the amount in different heads, including Rs47.9 million for installation and upgradation of CCTV cameras and video wall, Rs32.59 million for connectivity and etc.
A control room building of the Safe City project would also be completed in Phase 1 and it would cover the red zone, Sharea Faisal and airport corridor.
The Safe City project will also attach data on photographs of jail inmates and it will be completed in two-and-a-half years. The cameras will be capable of taking pictures with night vision, facial recognition and recording vehicle number plates. The command-and-control building of the project is also being developed adjacent to the Karachi Police Office (KPO).
Asif Aijaz Shaikh further added that the matter may be moved to the Sindh government’s Finance Department, with the request to authenticate the Draft Release Order (DRO) of Rs3.81 billion.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan had directed the Sindh government to establish a safe city system in the province, especially in Karachi, in 2016. However, Sindh government took four years and formed a ‘Sindh Safe City Authority’ in 2020 and a contract for the project was assigned to M/S National Radio and Telecom Corporation (NRTC). It is pertinent to mention here that the Safe City project in Lahore and Islamabad became operative in 2016 and 2018 respectively.