The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has started work on reconstruction of the road from the Cafe Pyala near Gulberg Chowrangi to the UBL Sports Complex on Rashid Minhas Road.
Addressing the groundbreaking ceremony on Sunday for the road restoration and reconstruction work, KMC Administrator Murtaza Wahab, who also serves as the spokesperson for the Sindh government, said that change could be brought about by working for betterment of the people.
The road, which connects Central District with East District, is being reconstructed at a cost of Rs450 million. The 5.5-kilometre thoroughfare would be completed before June 30. Wahab announced that before carpeting, underground works, including laying water lines, and sewerage and drainage systems, would be completed.
District Central Deputy Commissioner Taha Saleem, Karachi Development Authority (KDA) Director General Syed Muhammad Ali, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) District Central President Masroor Ahsan, General Secretary Dil Mohammad, Information Secretary Shehzad Majeed, and senior officers of the KMC and KDA were also present on the occasion.
The KMC administrator congratulated the people of Karachi on the successful no-confidence move against former prime minister Imran Khan. He said the three-and-a-half years of Khan had caused chaos, unemployment and inflation but now everyone had to work together for the development of Pakistan.
"For the first time in history, the National Assembly has sent a prime minister home using its constitutional powers. We expect a fair distribution of electricity, gas and resources from the federal government,” he said, adding that he hoped that the new federal government would take an interest in the affairs of Sindh and its problems would be resolved.
He said Shahrah-e-Noor Jahan in District Central would be rebuilt at a cost of Rs1.1 billion and on April 21, he would lay its foundation stone. He added that water, sewerage and drainage works would be completed before the construction of the road.
Wahab also announced that the Iqbal Park in Federal B Area Block 14 would be renovated for which the PC-1 had been prepared and funds allocated. In response to a question from the media, he said the people of Karachi would decide whether the eight months of his tenure as the KMC administrator had been good for them or the previous four years.
He said that of the 100 parks that had to be renovated in the jurisdiction of the District Municipal Corporation Central, 25 had been opened to the public. "No additional resources were used and all this was possible only because of hard work, dedication and attention. The journey of improvement is going on and will continue," said the KMC administrator.
He remarked that members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) did not believe in the Constitution of Pakistan but believed whatever their leader Khan said to be the constitution. That was why, they were not ready to abide by the Constitution of Pakistan and implement decisions of the Supreme Court, he added.
Last week the KMC had named a bridge each after the Jaamat-e-Islami’s former Karachi Nazim Advocate Naimatullah Khan and world-renowned Qawwal Amjad Farid Sabri, and an urban forest after educator Deena Mistri in recognition of their outstanding services in their respective fields.
According to a press statement issued by the KMC, on the directives of Wahab, the city council had passed three resolutions to honour the personalities who had served the metropolis. Under sections 85 and 86 of the Sindh Local Government Act 2013, it is permissible to name public places and routes within the limits of the KMC after persons who have rendered valuable services to the country.
The bridge at Sakhi Hassan Chowrangi has been named after Khan, who had become an elected member of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh in the 1985 elections. In 2001 he had been elected as the Karachi Nazim and had rendered significant services to the metropolis. He passed away at the age of 90 on February 25, 2020, in the city.
The underpass in Gharibabad has been named after Sabri, who had started learning the art of Qawwali at the age of nine, and at the age of 12 he performed his first Qawwali. After the death of his father Ghulam Farid Sabri in 1994, he had adopted his father’s art and reached the heights of fame.
He had presented his father’s Qawwalis in a new style, and his innovations were lauded all over the world. He soon gained worldwide recognition for his distinctive style of Naat recitation. He was shot dead by gunmen on June 22, 2016.
The Urban Forest in Clifton has been named after Deena, who had been the principal of the BVS Parsi High School. She had spent 60 years of her life educating the children of Karachi. A presidential medal for excellence had been awarded to her by the Government of Pakistan in recognition of her valuable services in the field of education.
She had been associated with the education sector all her life, and had played her role in the education and training of many generations. Wahab said we should remember our heroes, and pass on the deeds of those who have served this city to the next generation so that the future generations can be introduced to them through their services.
He said Karachi is a very important city in terms of civilisation and culture, and its history spans centuries. He added that Karachi had been known internationally even before Pakistan had been formed, and that even today this city is the identity of the country.