Murtaza Wahab asks Karachiites to help govt drive for developing city

Sindh government spokesman Barrister Murtaza Wahab has appealed to the people of Karachi to join the provincial administration’s campaign to develop the city through improving its civic infrastructure.

Wahab, who is also the chief minister’s adviser on law and environment, made the appeal on Saturday while speaking at the inauguration of Clifton’s neighbourhood park after its renovation.

He said that understanding the problems of Karachi, the Sindh government has been trying to carry out development works, so the people of the city should join hands with the administration to strengthen the drive for developing the provincial capital.

He also said the Sindh government will establish a proper food street in the Boating Basin locality while the Schon Circle area of Clifton will be developed keeping in mind the due representation of the local culture.

He further said that an area near the Bilawal House in Clifton’s Block 2 that had been used to dump garbage was transformed into a green belt and now also served as a playing area for the local children.

The spokesman said the government had also built the Peoples Square near the Sindh Secretariat as a proper urban space for the parking of vehicles and for the recreation of the residents of the locality.

He said the Burns Road and Haqqani Chowk areas will also be transformed into urban spaces in a similar manner for the benefit of the local population.

He also said that a piece of land along Ibrahim Hyderi Road that had been occupied was reclaimed to develop it into a proper public space and it would soon be inaugurated after the project was completed.

He further said that the Clifton park was restored with the help of a non-governmental organisation. The park was completely ruined but now it offers an excellent opportunity to people for exercise and recreation, he added.

Twin islands issue

Responding to a question about the twin islands off Karachi’s coast, Wahab said that during a detailed aerial survey of the islands, it had been ascertained that no unauthorised construction was taking place on the islands, except the building of a helipad and a checkpoint.

He said that he and Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah had conducted a detailed aerial survey of the islands after the task had been assigned to them by the CM. He also said that a stringent check will be maintained because reports have been received about the cutting of mangroves around the islands.

He recalled that the Sindh Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution against the transfer of the ownership of these islands to the federal government.

A day earlier, following an aerial survey of the Bundal and Buddo islands, the adviser had rejected media reports about illegal construction works on the twin islands.

“We did a detailed survey of the islands and, hence, we verify that no construction work of any sort is being carried out on the islands.”

Earlier, a meeting of the Sindh cabinet had taken notice of news reports that illegal construction works were being carried out on the two islands. The CM had then constituted a committee comprising his cabinet members to survey the islands.

Following Friday’s aerial visit, the spokesman said the people of the province owned the islands. “The provincial government will not allow any sort of illegal construction work on the islands.” He said the provincial assembly had given its decision against “unlawful transferring of the ownership of the islands” to the federal government. “We will not accept any move against the interest of the people of Sindh.”

In October the PA had unanimously passed a resolution calling upon the

Centre to withdraw the presidential ordinance promulgated to constitute the Pakistan Islands Development Authority, deeming the move “a vicious attempt by the federal government to illegally occupy the islands near Sindh’s coastline”.