City Council approves World Bank-supported project for Karachi’s development

The City Council of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s (KMC) on Thursday approved a contract with the World Bank for the CLICK project under which uplift works would be carried out in Karachi.

Karachi Deputy Mayor Arshad Hussain chaired the council session at the KMC building. A total of 14 resolutions were adopted in the session, of which 10 were passed unanimously and four adopted with a majority of votes.

The local councils of the KMC, District Municipal Corporations and District Council would provide details of work to the implementation unit established for the CLICK project. Taking part in the debate, Aslam Shah Afridi, Karamullah Waqasi, Junaid Mukati, Amanullah Afridi, Hanif Soorti, Rahat Hussain Siddiqui, Muhammad Asif Siddiqui, Syed Khalil Imam, Habib Hassan, and others fully endorsed the resolution and contract with the World Bank for development works in Karachi. They termed the contract a good sign for Karachi, the city neglected for so many years.

They stressed the need for setting priorities for uplifting infrastructure of municipal services. The members expressed the hope that the CLICK project would help in uplift works at the UC level and Karachi would once again become a prosperous city.

Meanwhile, the council also passed supplementary resolutions with a majority of votes for the establishment of the COVID-19 Infection Disease and Research Centre at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, collection of charges from registered telecom and cable operators and establishment of a section for the purpose, and the auction of plot No 2B in Old Sabzi Mandi.

The council also passed a resolution for establishing a pension desk to help the pensioners. In another resolution, the council approved the regularisaton of 178 contracted employees and issuance of salaries to 722 employees who were working on contracts from January 2019.

A unanimous resolution was also adopted asking the relevant authorities to write Khatim-un-Nabiyyin with the name of the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) in all the curriculum books.

In another resolution, the council named the KDA Chowrangi flyover after renowned poet Raees Amrohvi, the Five Star Chowrangi flyover after renowned actor Moin Akhtar, and the Sakhi Hassan flyover after renowned Qawwal Amjad Sabri.

In another unanimous resolution, the council asked the federal government to direct the K-Electric to mend its ways and stop load-shedding and excessive billing. The council also approved contracts made by Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar or his nominees with a majority of votes.

However, when an opposition member from Lyari accused former Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) local government minister of corruption, members from the treasury benches protested. The opposition member said that the MQM had remained part of the Sindh government, and it could not blame the provincial government now for its failures.

Earlier, condolence resolutions were adopted over the demise of Parks Department Deputy Director Muhammad Nadeem and those persons who were electrocuted during the recent rains.