Karachi: Parliamentary Leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party in the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, Karamullah Waqasi said that development activities in Karachi are being expanded beyond major projects to include streets, neighborhoods and everyday civic needs.
In a statement on Thursday, Waqasi said that instructions had been issued to complete rehabilitation and improvement works on the city’s internal streets at a faster pace.
Following the directives, the KMC has further accelerated ongoing development works in various parts of the city. Rehabilitation work is progressing rapidly on several streets in the limits of Shabbirabad and Chini-sar Town, while restoration work on Family Park Road and adjoining streets in District West is also continuing, he said.
He said that several streets in the Abdullah Gabol area of District West, although outside the jurisdiction of the KMC, are also being improved as part of efforts to strengthen basic infrastructure. Once the ongoing works are completed, residents of these areas are expected to receive improved road access and better civic infrastructure.
The Parliamentary Leader said progress is also being made toward introducing a digital parking system in Karachi to establish a more organized and transparent parking mechanism. The digital system will provide citizens with organized parking facilities, transparent fee collection and digital receipts, while the KMC will have access to a complete digital record of parking revenue. The system is aimed at reducing complaints related to unregulated parking and parking fees while improving transparency in revenue collection.
Waqasi said that following complaints regarding encroachments, instructions had been issued to the Anti-Encroachment Department to conduct operations in different parts of the city. Teams subsequently carried out operations in District West and Keamari, including areas around Banaras Chowrangi and Manghopir Road, where footpaths were cleared of encroachments. Further action will continue against encroachments obstructing pedestrian movement.
He said encroachments on footpaths and public passageways create difficulties for citizens, therefore operations based on public complaints would continue in relevant areas to restore pedestrian pathways and keep public spaces clear.
Waqasi further said that construction of the Shadman Information Technology Centre in District Central has been completed. The center will provide citizens with training opportunities in modern technology, including computer courses and artificial intelligence courses. The courses will be offered free of charge to citizens.
He said the Shadman Information Technology Centre would provide residents with access to modern technology training while also helping protect valuable public land. The site had previously faced issues involving attempts at encroachment, but it has now been converted into a formal civic facility.
Karamullah Waqasi said development in a major city such as Karachi cannot be restricted to major roads and mega projects alone. Continuous attention is also required for internal streets, roads, footpaths, parking management, removal of encroachments, and education and training facilities for citizens.
He said development activities across different districts are continuing alongside measures to modernize civic services, restore public spaces, organize parking, remove encroachments and provide young people with opportunities to acquire skills in modern technology.