Six-member committee formed to coordinate on Karachi's development

ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: A coordination committee for the “developmental projects in Karachi” was given the green signal during a meeting of the provincial leadership under PPP and the federal ministers, representing the ruling PTI.

Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, alongside provincial ministers Nasir Hussain Shah and Saeed Ghani, met Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar, who was accompanied by the PTI's Ali Haider Zaidi and the MQM-P's Syed Aminul Haq, the federal ministers for maritime affairs and information technology, respectively.

The meeting took place here in the federal capital, the Sindh CM's spokesperson said Wednesday, adding that another meeting followed wherein National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Lt Gen Muhammad Afzal was also present.

According to the spokesperson, participants of the meeting agreed on setting up a coordination committee, comprising CM Shah and both the provincial ministers, to maintain communication on development projects in Sindh.

While, Asad Umar, Ali Zaidi and Syed Aminul Haq will represent the federal government, he added.

Speaking of the meeting in a press conference in Islamabad, Umar said the committee would work on six things: water, sewerage system, solid waste disposal, clearing nullahs and removing encroachments, repairing roads, and introducing a modern transportation system.

All of these problems had a solution, he said, or at least a pending project that could provide relief to the people — such as the K-IV Water Project and Karachi Circular Railway (KCR).

The planning minister said the federation and the provincial government have reached a consensus for the development of Sindh including Karachi and will move in harmony for the prosperity of people.

Explaining the scope of the committee, Haque said it will act as a bridge between the federation and the province regarding the developmental projects of Karachi.

With regard to the committee, Asad Umar said that no head or convener had been appointed yet as matters could only move forward once there was a consensus between the Centre and the Sindh government.

"Secretary Sindh PND [Planning and Development Department] has been made the secretary of the committee," he stated.

To expedite the process, Umar said a list of projects would be finalised in two weeks to be divided between the Centre and Sindh to take charge on.

"A list will be made and the projects will be divided between the federal government and Sindh. The legal aspect and the source of financing the projects will also be worked out in the timeframe," he said.

The minister acknowledged that the federal government and its counterpart in Sindh "deeply disagree" on many issues but said he believed that political differences should not be a hindrance in the way of development.

Umar also claimed that the venture would not affect the government's "accountability" moto.

"We will not compromise on accountability," he stressed.