PM Imran orders authorities to finalise 'Karachi Transformation Plan'

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has ordered relevant authorities to ratify the 'Karachi Transformation Plan' during the current week after consultation with all stakeholders for its approval and implementation.

Chairing a high-level meeting to address civic problems of Karachi, the prime minister said the federal government was cognisant of the sufferings of people and vowed to play its role in mitigating them.

Governor Sindh Imran Ismail, Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar, Maritime Minister Syed Ali Zaidi (through video-link), Chairman National Disaster Management Authority Lt Gen Muhammad Afzal, and secretaries of concerned ministers also attended the meeting.

PM Imran said the country's progress and development were linked with the prosperity of its economic hub Karachi.

The prime minister was updated about Karachi's problems relating to clean drinking water, sewerage, solid waste management, and transport and apprised of the proposals for their permanent solution.

A presentation on the ‘Karachi Transformation Plan’ prepared by the Planning Ministry was also shown in the meeting.

Due to torrential rains that wreaked havoc in Karachi last week, its residents took to streets to protest against authorities for failing to fix their power woes and other issues.

The protesters lamented how Karachi's sole power supplier, the K-Electric, neither had answers nor faced accountability for cutting off electricity for four days straight.

'Centre, Sindh govt working together'

The federal government along with the Sindh government is working together to resolve three major problems of Karachi, Prime Minister Imran Khan had said on Saturday after rains wreaked havoc in the port city.

“The whole nation feels the pain our people in Karachi are going through. However, out of this devastation and suffering, there is now a positive development as my government, along with the Sindh government, is moving to immediately act and resolve three major problems of Karachi,” the prime minister had said on Twitter.

He had further stated that the two will be working on cleaning the nullahs, finding a solution to the garbage issue in the city, and resolving the water problems in the metropolis.

“Cleaning the nullahs once and for all and dealing with encroachments impeding water channels; devising a permanent solution to the solid waste disposal and sewerage problems, and resolving the critical issue of water supply to the citizens of Karachi,” PM Imran had added.