Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab today inaugurated the construction and rehabilitation work of Muhammad Shah Street in the Old City area and other development projects in Karachi.

Speaking on the occasion, Mayor said Rs 14 billion had been given to the towns, while Rs 27 billion have been received under OZT, and an additional Rs 6 billion had been obtained through click. Earlier, a Union Council used to receive Rs 500,000, which has now been increased to Rs 1.2 million.

Towns currently have Rs 700 million under the head of road cutting, which should be utilized for public welfare. He said that this year is a year of development and improvement for Karachi. This year, KMC is spending Rs 30 billion on improving the city’s infrastructure. Ending political tug-of-war and politics of prejudice is the need of the hour. The city is one, so its system should also be one, and instead of dividing powers, they should be consolidated. In the past, there were doubts regarding KMC’s powers and resources, but today it has been proven that KMC can work within its available resources. Every single rupee coming into KMC’s account is being spent on public convenience.

He said that work on the old Hub Canal project will be completed by 31 December, which will provide the city with an additional 20 million gallons of water. Along with this, sewage treatment plants are also being made fully functional. He said that they love their sea and marine life and will ensure their protection.

He expressed these views while inaugurating the construction and rehabilitation work of Muhammad Shah Street in the Old City area and other development projects today. On this occasion, Deputy Parliamentary Leader in the City Council Dil Muhammad, Jaman Darwan and other elected representatives were also present.

Mayor Karachi said that the federal government would never want the areas under its control to fall within the Mayor’s jurisdiction, but despite that, he is trying to sit with all institutions to resolve issues. He said that Old City Karachi is a historic area that is more than two hundred years old, and the buildings here are more than one hundred and twenty-five years old, but unfortunately, this area was neglected for a long time.

He said that areas such as Bartan Bazaar, Gali Joria Bazaar and Khajoor Bazaar in Old City had fallen into a state of devastation, where the sewerage system was obsolete and drainage was extremely poor. Streets and roads were badly broken, due to which citizens faced severe difficulties. He said that more than 200,000 square feet of pavers have been laid and sewerage lines of various sizes have been installed.

He said that in the past, through ‘China cutting’, the political and administrative rights of this area were violated, and the Pakistan Peoples Party was also consistently ignored here, whereas public service is real politics, and only those parties live in the hearts of the people who solve public problems.

The Mayor said that in addition to the markets, there are five mosques in the area where worshippers faced severe difficulties during Friday prayers. He said that under the vision of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, a promise was made to this area that its basic issues would be resolved, and to fulfill this promise, Rs. 100 million (one hundred million rupees) were allocated for this area.

He said that paver blocks have been installed in the narrow streets of Old City, the sewerage system has been improved on modern lines, and during the development work, the concerned staff continuously visited the area and consulted the trader community, keeping their needs in view.

He said that this area does not belong to any one party or individual, but to the public, and the residents and traders here have themselves assured that they will protect the development works and will not allow re-excavation or damage.

Mayor Karachi said that today a new scene can be seen in Old City: streets are clean, roads are improved and the environment has become pleasant, due to which traders, residents and citizens coming for shopping appear satisfied. These roads are connected to the city’s busy arteries, making travel even easier.

He announced that by 15 December, work on another major development project will be started. He said that the road in front of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce has been completed, the road from Civil Hospital to Haqqani Chowk has been prepared, and the parking problem around Bolton Market has also been resolved.

He said that internal streets in Lyari Town are being improved at a cost of Rs. 5 billion. KMC engineers have been given a 100-day target so that development work in the city can be completed on time. The extension of Azeem Pura Road is being carried out to facilitate citizens traveling to Shah Faisal Colony and the airport.

He said that Lea Market will be beautified, while restoration work of Hasan Ali Hothi Market (built in 1926) is ongoing and this project will be completed by January. A special ceremony will also be held on the completion of 100 years of this historic building. Restoration work of Empress Market is also ongoing and will be completed by 31 January.

The Mayor said that the issue is not of powers, but of intention. In the past, roads were cut in the name of road cutting but were not restored, whereas now this system is being made transparent.

He said that special measures are being taken for the installation of street lights and provision of manhole covers. He appealed to citizens to cooperate with the administration to prevent the theft of manhole covers and to immediately inform the helpline in case of complaints.

On this occasion, Wahab also congratulated all people living across the world on Sindhi Culture Day, and said that Sindh is a land of peace, love and Sufis, and it is the responsibility of all of us to adopt our culture and be proud of it.