PM shows concern over environment hazards in Karachi, ports

• Abbasi chairs a meeting at Governor’s House

KARACHI: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Saturday expressed serious concerns over the environmental hazards in Karachi city as well as the ports and directed the authorities concerned to address the issue on fast track basis besides seeking formal proposal to resolve this issue immediately.

He issued the directives in a meeting chaired by him at the Governor’s House here wherein he was briefed on the ongoing development projects being funded by the federal government. The meeting was also apprised about the critical infrastructure projects required in Karachi, especially freight movement from the ports to up-country, to support local, national and transnational trade and facilitate business activities as well as easing passengers’ movement.

Prime Minister Abbasi was briefed that work on the Layari Expressway was near to complete after 97 percent progress, and its northbound section would be operational by the end of this year. Regarding K-4, the meeting was informed that the first phase of the project would be operative by the next year.

The prime minister stressed that all the stakeholders needed to collaborate to simultaneously execute remaining phases of this project of the public importance. On its part, the federal government had provided funding for the project; remaining bottlenecks should be removed through coordination.

The meeting was also informed about the progress on the Green Line BRT which was fully federally funded project in terms of civil infrastructure, planned for the mass transit corridor for the transport infrastructure. It was informed that the project would be operative by the end of the current financial year.

On the critical transport infrastructure projects for Karachi, the prime minister asked the stakeholders at the local, provincial and federal levels to sit together and resolve coordination issues for proceeding ahead to arrive at a well-coordinated plan of action. He called for evolving a proper development and strategic plan by local, federal and provincial governments to move ahead.

The meeting was attended by Sindh Governor Mohammad Zubair, Minister for Ports and Shipping Mir Hasil Bizenjo, State Minister for Ports Jafar Iqbal, Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar, chairmen of the Karachi Port Trust and the Port Qasim Authority, the chief secretary and other senior government officials.