Karachi: Distinguished town planners and architects on Wednesday proposed the development of a new Karachi master plan for the next 100 years in order to transform the city into a beautiful metropolis with an efficient public transport system, a news source reported.
The recommendation was put forward at a conference held on the topic of ‘Transforming Karachi’; the agenda of which was to plan ways to restore Karachi to its former glory. Sindh Chief Secretary (CS) Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah presided over the session.
The attendees discussed the need to revive the Karachi Circular Railway, and put emphasis on the importance of promoting the cultural heritage of the metropolis. Close coordination between the government, academics and experts was proposed for the restoration and preservation of heritage buildings as well as to facilitate the establishment of a history museum. Other recommendations included restoration of public parks and playgrounds, provision of amenities and land-use conversion.
The CS told the participants that a committee was already working on the master plan for the city’s development. He added that the provincial government was working on the ‘Karachi Water & Sewerage Services Improvement Project’ to meet the water requirements of the metropolis. The mega project is worth USD 1.6 billion and is expected to be completed over a period of 12 years.
In response, Minister for Local Government Nasir Husain Shah said that the provincial governmental planned to develop the master plan in collaboration with the civil society members. He added that all landowning agencies would be required to follow the blueprint and new regulations.
