CM Murad says development of Nahr-e-Khayam will be gift for Karachiites

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah approved at his cabinet meeting an agreement with a private party to beautify, modernize and develop Nahr-e-Khayam, a recreational point where people could enjoy with their families.

“This will be a gift for the people of Karachi and it will be for families to have picnic and enjoy sailing in the beautiful boats, for literary people to enjoy their reading material and for youngsters to enjoy different flavours of their coffee at the bank of beautiful Nahr-e-Khayam.”

This he said on Monday while presiding over the provincial cabinet meeting here at New Sindh Secretariat. The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, all provincial ministers, advisors and concerned officers, such as IG Police Dr Kaleem Imam, Advocate General Salman Talibuddin, Prosecutor General and others.

Minister Local Government Syed Nasir Shah presented an item of an agreement to be signed between Sindh Government and PANI for improvement of Nahr-e-Khayam. A group of different NGOs led by leading Architect Shahid Abdullah sought approval of the cabinet.

Nahr-e-Khayam is running from Gizri crossing besides Ocean Mall, Clifton upto the sea and way back, it is used for drainage of storm water to the sea. In fact, water travels both ways in Nahr-e-Khayam that is during low tide from ground to sea and during high tide from sea to ground.

The cabinet was told that for the last few years sewage/sewerage is being discharged into Nahr-e-Khayam for its disposal into sea. There became a practice of disposal of solid waste along banks of the Nahr that resulted in an increasing nuisance in the area with passage of time, as well as attraction for encroachers/land grabbers.

The cabinet was informed that after detailed meeting with PANI, a draft agreement was proposed under which a park/recreation place would be developed and adopted by PANI on the area with Nahr-e-Khayam on the north and service lane on the south from Khayaban-e-Saadi to Khayaban-e-Iqbal.

The tenure of the adoption of land by PANI would be 30 years. To segregate and ensure smooth sewage flow which is currently flowing in Nahr-e-Khayam; a separate conduit will be constructed by Sindh government in the portion proposed for development of park and or passage of sewage through Reed Bed system.

Under the proposed agreement park will not be used for any political activity and the title of the government will remain with the Sindh government. The adopted park area will not be used for any commercial activity, except for the tuck-shops etc and height of any structure will not be more than 15 ft.

The chief minister said the project has already been delayed, therefore the cabinet approved it in the larger interest of the city and allowed the local government department to sign the agreement and embark upon development of the area.