Karachi: Chairman of Pakistan Peoples’ Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that the Sindh government with the assistance of the World Bank will upgrade the civic infrastructure of every neighbourhood of Karachi to make it a mega city with world-class living standards.
The PPP chairman expressed this resolve while inaugurating an upgraded road in Korangi area of Karachi connecting Ibrahim Hyderi, an underprivileged coastal settlement of fishermen in the city. The road has been upgraded with construction of open public spaces under the World Bank-funded Karachi Neighbourhood Improvement Project.
Speaking on the occasion, Bilawal said the World Bank had estimated an investment of $10 billion for the required improvements and upgrading of civic infrastructure of Karachi. “Karachi is a unique city in the sense that people from all over Pakistan come here to earn their livelihood and to contribute to the national economy, but at the same time infrastructure and resources of the city remain under enormous stress,” he said.
The PPP chairman said the financial assistance available from the World Bank was being used to upgrade water supply, drainage, sewerage and road networks of different neighbourhoods of the city. He said that at the same time open public spaces were also being constructed in these localities for recreation of the area people.
“As Rome was not built in a day, we have to build this city gradually as this process of development should be expanded from one neighbourhood to another so that Karachi will be upgraded to the standard where it can compete with other mega cities of the world,” Bilawal said. “This is just beginning of the process as this work has to be continued day and night as every street of Karachi has to be upgraded and improved in the same manner,” he added.
