KARACHI: Administrator Karachi Laeeq Ahmed on Monday said Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Printing Press would be upgraded by adding new machines to meet modern printing requirements.
“KMC’s printing press is meeting other printing needs including annual budget in an efficient manner despite insufficient resources. In order to make KMC Press profitable, the launch of printing for other public and private institutions will also be considered here, ” the Administrator said while visiting the printing press of KMC.
Senior Director Coordination Khalid Khan, Senior Director CSR Saif Abbas, Senior Director Media Management Ali Hassan Sajid and other officers were also present on the occasion.
Administrator Karachi inspected the printing of the budget for the current financial year 2021-22 in the press and appreciated the hard work and dedication of the employees.
He listened to the problems of the printing press and assured that all legitimate issues would be resolved.
Briefing him on the occasion, Ali Hassan Sajid, Senior Director Information and Printing, said KMC Printing Press is the only printing press in Pakistan operating under any municipal corporation.
KMC Press was established in a bakery on Nishtar Road and was reorganized in 1957-58 to manage the printing of annual budget including documents used in various departments of KMC.
Ali said after the establishment of the press, KMC started saving more than Rs. 200, 000 annually in its expenses.
He added that with the passage of time, various types of printing machines were added there to continue printing work uninterrupted.
“For this, a 65 kW electric generator was also installed in 2012 to enable printing work without any interruption. For the printing of documents as per the requirements of modern times, it is necessary to install modern machines here and use them by trained staff, ” Ali said.
He said apart from this, manual work including haste was also done and every effort was made to maintain high quality of printing, adding that the budget of KMC for the next financial year 2021-22 was in the final stages of printing.
It was expected that after the completion of printing, it would be submitted for approval.
Administrator Karachi said the ancient machines of KMC printing press of historical importance should be preserved as it was a historical heritage. The world of printing has become very advanced and the use of electronic and digital devices has become very common in this field.
He said the way the printing industry has developed over the last decade, it made it a lucrative industry as it was required in almost every field.
He said the press owned by KMC could also be used as a source of revenue, so the printing arrangements for public and private entities should also be reviewed to meet its financial needs.
At the same time, revenue would be available to the company, he said, adding that the staff of KMC Press should work hard to make the sector profitable for the company.
It may be noted here that Ahmed was the first KMC administrator to visit the Printing Press to review the budget printing work and issue instructions to the Director Press and other staff.