Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Altaf Shakoor has demanded a special package for the uplift of megacity Karachi on warfooting basis. Now the provincial government of Sindh, federal government in Islamabad and major political stakeholder of the megacity, MQM-P, are on one page and it is a proper time to pay a serious attention to the neglected port city.
He said pot-holed streets, broken gutter lines and acute dearth of potable water and lack of proper commuting facilities are amongst the burning problems of Karachi needing an urgent and healing focus of the federal and provincial governments.
He said that the country would go to fresh polls after completion of the remaining tenure of present assemblies and it would also be in the best interest of the ruling parties to win the minds and hearts of voters of the megacity, which can be only done by serving the city and its residents.
Altaf Shakoor said that small-scale flyovers and underpasses should be constructed at busy streets in every area of the megacity, especially in district South, to cope with agonizing traffic jams. He said old and smokey junk-class minibuses should be banned in the city to pave way for modern wide-bodied public transport buses.
He said sadly after 11pm public transport could hardly be found in many parts of the city and commuters have simply to walk or hire costly rickshaws. He said all closed public transport routes in the megacity should be revived besides introducing new routes in suburban neighborhoods. He said public transport should be made available till 2:00 AM.
He said the Green Line rapid bus transit should be urgently extended to Mereweather Tower, preferably up to Keamari, to facilitate commuters. He said all other announced bus rapid transit projects including Orange Line, Red Line and Blue Line, should be physically started, besides working on the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project with an accelerated speed.
He said the megacity needs dozens of new universities and higher education institutions to cater the needs of growing number of students. He said the project of an Education City was announced about a decade back but it is practically still on paper only. He demanded that the Education City should be made a reality instead of a perpetual political lollipop.
Altaf Shakoor reminded that the port city is an industrial hub, but sadly its industrial estates face immense problems, including lack of water, electricity, gas, proper roads and streetlights, security and most importantly public transport system. He said millions of workers in industrial estates of Karachi are compelled to use bicycles and motorcycles as they do not get proper public transport facilities. He said the part of the KCR that links the industrial areas of Landhi and Korangi to the main city is encroached upon by land mafia and slum dwellers. He demanded to make this KCR track also functional on urgent basis.
He said private water tanker mafia is looting the Karachiites with both hands because the corruption-marred Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) has miserably failed to properly supply potable water to citizens.
He said sadly in many city areas there is simply no water supply system of KWSB, which is pathetic. He asked to complete K-IV water project on urgent basis and revamp water supply system through pipelines in whole megacity.
