KMC to give legal protection to WB-funded projects: Wahab

Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab held a meeting with a three-member delegation of the World Bank in his office on Wednesday, and told the delegates that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) was ready to work with the World Bank on the city’s development projects.

The World Bank’s investment and other matters, he said, would be approved by the KMC’s City Council so that the WB-funded projects could get legal protection.

To solve the problem of lack of clean water, he said, the installation of RO plants is needed in Karachi by installing an RO plant in every ward of the city, and the water shortage can be controlled to a large extent.

KMC Council Parliamentary Leader Najmi Alam was also present on this occasion. The head of the delegation, Practice Manager World Bank Urban and Land for South Asia, Abedalrazq Khalil, received information regarding the development projects of Karachi and expressed interest in investment by the Bank in these projects.

Wahab briefed the delegation about the structure of the local government system and the management of civic affairs in Karachi. He said that the city is divided into 46 towns and a thousand wards, each union committee chairman represents his area in the KMC council, and at the lower level, these union committee chairmen and councillors are in direct contact with the people and make efforts to solve their day-to-day problems.

He said that the municipal administration in Karachi is facing major challenges related to water and sewage. He added that the RO plant is the best way to solve the problems of water shortage, and installing RO plants would provide clean water to the citizens. “It will have the best effects on the system, especially the residents of the slums of Karachi will get a lot of convenience from the installation of the RO plant,” he said.

He explained there is a significant difference in the revenue and income of different towns of Karachi. Compared to Saddar Town, the income of Lyari Town is very low, so this aspect should also be kept in mind regarding the development works within the boundaries of the towns, he said, adding that this is also noteworthy that various revenues, including the property tax, are collected by the towns, while the provision of basic infrastructure and other facilities in different areas of the city is the responsibility of the KMC.

Every possible effort is made to ensure that all civic institutions adopt a common plan to solve basic local government problems and serve the citizens together, he said. The delegation emphasized the need for the system to be effective and aligned with modern requirements and reviewed the steps taken by the KMC in this regard.

On this occasion, the needs of Karachi and other major and commercial coastal cities of the world were also highlighted and the study and plans of the World Bank were discussed in this regard.

The mayor said that for the betterment of Karachi, we welcome the cooperation of international organisations, including the World Bank, in the development projects launched for this purpose.