Karachi mayor asks for collective approach to address issues

News Desk

KARACHI: Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab has appealed to the opposition to work together for the development and betterment of this port city and said that the collective approach will address all issues of the mega city and give much relief to Karachiites soon.

“I invite the opposition to lend us a helping hand to resolve the civic problems in the larger interest of Karachiites. As regards the election phase, this is over now and we will have to knuckle down to serious work beyond politics. I call for the collective approach as this is our own city,” he said.

He said this while speaking to journalists during a press conference held at the Frere Hall lawn. Karachi deputy mayor Salman Abdullah Murad, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) senior leaders Najmi Alam, Qadir Patel and Karamullah Waqasi were also present.

The Karachi mayor said that he has prepared a road map for development of the city as citizens are being informed through the media.

“I am grateful to the party [PPP] leadership for appointing me to this important position so that I can play a positive role in developing the city. I am eager to work and Inn Shaa Allah, and citizens will see work happening everywhere soon. We will make the governance better and transparent.

Allegations leveled about the local government elections are baseless, the elections have been held legally and we are elected mayor and deputy mayor respectively after winning the polls. In the next ten days, I and the deputy mayor will contest the elections from one of the Union Committees (UCs) of the metropolis according to the legal procedure,” he said.

He said and stressed that people would not be disappointed as they hoped that local bodies could solve their problems. He said that he had started cleaning drains 10 days ago and they would be cleared quickly.

He said that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) would work together with the provincial government to raise this organisation to new heights as the city is facing an acute shortage of water for which various projects are being implemented.

He said that the sewerage system in the city is being improved so that the roads and paths are intact and safe from the sewage overflow. The ongoing development work including the construction and repair work of roads and bridges in different areas of Karachi will be completed expeditiously and better transport facilities will be provided to citizens. He said that anti-encroachment works would be carried out in the city and simultaneously roads would be repaired and maintained in order to revamp the road infrastructure. He said that roads of surrounding and far-flung areas of Karachi and Goths (villages) would be improved soon.

Speaking about a burning issue of allocation of graveyards, he also said that 200 acres of land have been allocated in Keamari to meet the need of cemeteries and another big graveyard will be made in Malir.

Talking on arrangements about disposing offals of sacrificial animals on Eidul Azha, he said that he had issued directives to discard them swiftly. He also said that he had evolved an effective strategy regarding the removal of the waste of sacrificial animals in a smooth and rapid way.

“Sindh government would resolve all problems of Karachiites by working harder and the development work will be shown in the city instead of files,” he concluded.