Efforts on to transform Karachi into modern city
Laeeq Ahmed takes over from Iftikhar Ali Shallwani as new administrator
Karachi: Outgoing Administrator of Karachi Iftikhar Ali Shallwani has said that efforts are on to transform Karachi into a modern city after resolving its issues related to water supply, drainage, road network, garbage disposal and public transportation.
The Outgoing Administrator Karachi stated this while addressing a conference on making Pakistan a modern state. Shallwani’s speech at the conference was his last public appearance as the administrator Karachi as afterwards he, being a senior officer of the Pakistan’s civil service, is transferred to Islamabad to serve in the federal government after promoted to grade-22.
In his place, Sindh government has posted a grade-20 bureaucrat Laeeq Ahmed as the new administrator Karachi. Prior to becoming the new Karachi’s administrator, Ahmed was Sindh government’s secretary for its Excise, Taxation, and Narcotics Control Department.
While addressing the conference, the outgoing Karachi’s administrator said that only those global cities had been doing progress whose municipal infrastructure was in better shape enabling them to provide the basic civic and amenity facilities to their residents.
He sought the assistance of youth of the city in resolving basic problems of the city as they should join hands with the government to develop Karachi and upgrade its basic infrastructure.
Tram service
He said that one of the efforts being made to modernise Karachi would be revival of the tram service in downtown areas of the city with assistance of Turkey.
He said the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) had established free of charge coaching facilities to help youth of the city preparing for the Central Superior Service Examination to join the elite civil service of the country.
Shallwani said that Karachi in the past had been the centre of knowledge and culture in the country as he was keen to see a large number of the intelligent and talented youth of the city join the elite services in the country for employment.
He said that efforts were also being made to revive public libraries in Karachi and to establish new roadside street libraries to enable Karachiites read books free of charge.
Shallwani said the KMC had involved local communities by forming gardening committees to take care of the public parks in Karachi.