KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and World Bank high power delegation have on Monday agreed to start $2 billion projects for Karachi to make the city one of the most developed and beautiful cities of the world.
The projects which came under discussion and were agreed to start include Karachi Urban Mobility project (KUMP) of $400 million dollars; Karachi Water & Sewerage Services Improvement Project (KWSSIP) of $1.6 billion and Competitive and Livable City of Karachi (CLCK) of $230 m.
The World Bank 16-member team was led by Country Director Patchamuthu Illangovan while other delegates included Senior Director Ede Jorge Ijjasz-Vasquez, Practice Manager David Seth Warren, Operation Manager Melinda Good, Programme Leader Lixin Gu, Transport Specialist Said Dahdah, Sr Urban Economist Yoonhee Kim, Water Management Specialist Andreas Rohde and others.
The chief minister was supported by Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani, Excise Minister Mukesh Chawla, Transport Minister Awais Qadir Shah, Advisor Murtaza Wahab, P&D Chairman Mohammad Waseem, Principal Secretary Sajid Jamal Abro, concerned provincial secretaries, MD Water board and others.
The Karachi Urban Mobility (KUMP) project is aimed at improving urban mobility, especially for women accessibility and road safety. Under this project BRT Yellow Line corridor, including infrastructure rehabilitation and BRTS system to constructed.
The World Bank experts would also undertake capacity building of Sindh Mass Transit Authority (SMTA) to manage all the BRT system. The world bank would finance the rehabilitation of the roads, footpaths and develop other relevant infrastructure.
The chief minister discussed this project with the world bank team and said Karachi was the most beautiful city but its beauty would flourish when its transport system would be established. “We are working on KCR project but even then, there is a dire need of Urban transport system of BRT,” he said.
The World Bank country director agreed to take up the project and urged the transport department to furnish all the relevant documents, PC-I and another layout plan with them so that it could be sent for final approval from their board.
The provincial chief minister said that he was wanted to establish KWSB as the most efficient, effective and service delivery institution. For the purpose, there is a need for restructuring of water, rehabilitation of its entire water supply and drainage system. To achieve this object the support of the World Bank was required, the chief minister.
The World Bank which under the request of Sindh government has studied the problems of water and have envisages a plan under the name of KWSSIP. The purpose of the programme is to provide safe and reliable water and sewerage services and encourage private sector investments on water supply and wastewater treatment.
The world bank experts said that reforms in the water board were required in three sectors. First one was raising operational capacity for safe, sustainable and equitable water service delivered to all customers. The second one is the restoration of the water board’s financial stability and third reform was required in governance and institutional reforms in the water board.
The Sindh government and the world bank agreed to approve the project for which all legal formalities would be completed within a month and the project would be sent to the World Bank board for approval. The chief minister formed a committee under Chairman P&D Mohammad, MD Water Board Asadullah Khan and PD K-IV Asad Zamin to meet all the requirement of the world bank and submit them PC-I and other documents.
Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah said that under Competitive and Livable City of Karachi (CLCK) project he wanted to enhance urban management and service delivery of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and all DMCs of the city.
Institutional reforms would be introduced in KMC and in all six DMCs. Property Tax survey would be conducted and all the payments, including salaries, receipts of local taxes, property tax and payment of bills etc. would be made electronically. All the manual system would be replaced with a digital system.
The project was approved in principle and would be placed in the World Bank board for final approval.
The chief minister and the world bank set deadlines for completion of documentation for all the three projects. They are for CLICK by early April, KWSSIP by the end of March and KUMP by end of March.
