LG secy proposes forming single body for Sharea Faisal’s maintenance

The Sindh government has proposed to take steps to further develop and beautify Sharea Faisal, Karachi’s most important thoroughfare, and constitute a single body responsible for its maintenance. The artery is currently under the administrative control of various municipal bodies and land-owning agencies.

Local Government and Housing & Town Planning Secretary Engr Syed Najam Ahmad Shah said that steps should be taken to make Sharea Faisal beautiful and attractive like the thoroughfares of world-class metropolitan cities. He said that a joint authority should be formed to focus on the road’s development and beautification.

Secretary Shah held a meeting for the purpose at his office on Thursday. Officers and representatives of the Pakistan Army, the Karachi Development Authority (KDA), the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and other important institutions were present on the occasion.

Shah said Sharea Faisal is, more or less, a 16km-long highway within the boundaries of Karachi, and passes through the boundaries of various land-owning authorities and municipalities in the city. He stressed the need for an independent body to be empowered for the maintenance, cleanliness and revenue generation of Sharea Faisal that will also improve the overall beauty and maintenance of this important road of the city.

He was told that until 1994 the KDA was responsible for the maintenance and beautification of the major artery, but later on, due to different circumstances in different eras, its jurisdiction changed based on the power and scope of different authorities.

He responded that the KMC should be responsible for the maintenance and beautification of the road but it would be better if all the relevant municipalities, local government institutions and other authorities try to devise a joint strategy so that no dispute arises in the future.

He gave the example of developed countries where independent and autonomous authorities are formed for the maintenance and beautification of the main highways, which not only beautify and maintain the roads but also generate revenue that is used specifically for the development of that particular road.

He said that steps should be taken to place commemorative statues, things connected with the city’s history, famous tourist spots, entertainment centres and digital signs at important points passing through Sharea Faisal, and to ensure that the identity and image of the city continues to improve in the eyes of domestic and foreign guests.

He also emphasised that the tax collected and the revenue generated from Sharea Faisal should be spent exclusively on its construction and development in accordance with all the legal regulations so that the provincial government’s vision of a brighter and cleaner Karachi can be extended.