In response to the growing public safety crisis that has claimed nearly two dozen lives this year, New Karachi Town Chairman Muhammad Yousuf has launched an immediate campaign to cover all open manholes within the town’s limits, citing institutional negligence as the cause of these preventable tragedies.
During a surprise visit to various areas on Monday, Chairman Yousuf, accompanied by town administration officials, began the work of securing hazardous manholes on the spot. He emphasized that the safety of citizens is the administration’s primary responsibility, stating, “Human life is the most precious.”
The Chairman’s action was prompted by the recent death of a young child, Muhammad Ibrahim, who fell into an open manhole in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. Expressing deep sorrow over the incident, Yousuf called the death “a tragedy for the entire nation” and a direct result of systemic failure rather than a mere accident.
Yousuf announced that New Karachi Town would use its municipal funds for the project. “This task is undoubtedly the responsibility of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, but when the responsible institutions remain silent, we cannot remain silent for the safety of our citizens,” he said, stressing that his administration cannot evade its responsibility.
He formally demanded the Sindh government implement permanent safety measures and directly appealed to Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab to “take concrete steps to make the Water and Sewerage Board functional and accountable.”
Chairman Yousuf stressed that united action by the civic administration can bring about significant change. “The public has given us a mandate to serve, and we will prove this mandate not with political slogans but with practical actions,” he said.
Additionally, the Chairman reviewed ongoing development projects and reported that the construction and development of 600 streets in New Karachi Town is rapidly underway. He announced that a plan is in place to pave an additional 600 streets in the next phase, calling this combined effort the largest development package in the town’s history.
He concluded by stating that his administration’s top priorities are improving civic amenities, public safety, and quality construction, with the aim of making New Karachi Town a model area for the rest of the city.