ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has arrived in Karachi today on Tuesday on a day-long visit to review the federal government’s projects in the city.
The prime minister is scheduled to arrive in Karachi during the afternoon. Minister of Planning and Development Asad Umar will also accompany the prime minister.
He will chair a meeting at the Karachi Port Trust. Special Assistant on Maritime Affairs Mahmood Moulvi will also be present in the meeting focusing on maritime policy. He is also scheduled to visit the Naval Dockyard.
He is also expected to meet Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and other political leaders. The premier will be briefed on the various federal government projects that are being executed in the city under the Karachi Transformation Plan. The prime minister is expected to issue directives on their implementation.
PM Imran Khan will be briefed on the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project by Railways Minister Azam Swati. After the meetings at the KPT, the prime minister is expected to visit Hub Chowki. After his official engagements are over, the prime minister is expected to return to Islamabad by Tuesday night.
Expedite federal government projects
A week ago, Prime Minister Imran Khan had called for expediting work on the ongoing uplift schemes under the Karachi Transformation package. He issued directives to the authorities concerned to complete the under-construction Green Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) System in Karachi within the stipulated time.
The prime minister has lawmakers from Sindh at the Prime Minister’s House in Islamabad. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar, MNA Ghous Buksh Mahar, and MPAs Ali Gouhar Mahar and Safdar Abbasi were among the lawmakers who met the premier.
They discussed the overall situation in the Sindh province, including the law and order, COVID-19 pandemic and issues faced by the people of the province. The federal government-funded uplift schemes, including the Green Line Bus Rapid Transit System, were also discussed.
Karachi Transformation Plan
Last year, PM Imran Khan announced Rs1,100bn development package for Karachi terming it as a “historic” package that will cater to the city’s diverse problems including water supply, transport, and solid waste management.
The premier had said that the first issue being addressed is the water supply, by completing the Greater Karachi Water Supply Scheme known as K-IV. He had expressed hope that Karachi’s water supply issue will be fully resolved in the next three years.
The prime minister had assured that the transformation package would address the city’s sewerage and solid waste disposal problems. Regarding transportation, the prime minister had said that the Karachi Circular Railway, the Bus Rapid Transit, and other mass transit project are included in the plan.
PM Khan had said that the long-term development plan will span three years with the first phase of the plan to take a year while the rest will be implemented in two years.
