Daily Times

The Senate Standing Committee on Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, Monday, directed to expedite work on all PSDP projects related to the provision of drinking water to Karachi and maintain close coordination among all the relevant departments so that the basic issue of citizens of the metropolis could be resolved at the earliest.

The Senate committee also recommended speeding up the disbursement of funds for reconstruction of flood-affected houses in Sindh province and handing over administrative control of the Sindh Infrastructure Development Company Limited (SIDCL) to the provincial government for ensuring execution of relevant projects.

The committee made the recommendation during its meeting with chairperson Senator Quratulain Marri in chair held here to review the status of disbursement of funds for Public Sector Development Projects FY 2024-25 for Sindh Province and progress made on the projects so far.

The meeting was attended by the committee members Senators Zeeshan Khanzada and Jam Saifullah Dharejo, Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab, Secretary Planning Awais Manzur Sumra, Member Infrastructure and RC Waqas Anwar, Chairman Planning and Development Board Sindh Najam Ahmed Shah, Sindh Finance Secretary Fayaz Ahmed Jatoi, and other relevant officers.

The chairperson of the committee emphasized that potable water was a basic as well as a major issue in Karachi, and the federal and provincial governments should sit together to find out the solution to encountered issues and remove hurdles in the completion of K-IV and other allied projects.

Najam Ahmed Shah briefed the meeting about Karachi Water and Sewerage Services Improvement Projects (KWSSIP), K-IV augmentation works, and Kalri Baghar (KB) Feeder Improvement Projects, which are designed to improve the overall water supply situation in the metropolis.

Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab emphasized the urgency of completing the K-IV water project to address Karachi’s water shortage and stressed that water was one of the basic issues of the city and it needed to be resolved in the possible minimum time.

CEO of Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation, Assadullah, pointed out that the water requirements of Karachi were multiplying each year due to the increasing population, and the shortage of water was creating various issues and public outrage.

Senator Qurat-ul-Ain Marri emphasized the importance of sustaining momentum on these projects to uplift Sindh’s infrastructure and directed the relevant officers to work in cohesion and hold regular meetings to expedite the work by removing the bottlenecks.

“The timely release of funds and concerted focus on crucial projects, such as the K-IV water initiative and flood housing reconstruction, are essential to ensure the well-being of the people of Sindh,” she stated and reiterated her commitment to work closely with all relevant bodies for bringing these projects to fruition.”

The meeting was informed that the Sindh government had released over Rs 20 billion so far under the project of reconstruction of damaged houses in flood-affected areas, while ECC had granted approval for the transfer of Rs 4.5 billion to the finance division. The decision would be tabled before the cabinet for ratification.

Furthermore, the Committee also reviewed progress on projects including the construction of the Sukkur-HHyderabad motorway, additional carriageway along Mehran Highway from Nawabshah to Ranipur, improvement of roads from Rohri to Guddu Barrage, Karachi and Hyderabad Urban Development Projects, dualization of the Tando Allahyar to Tando Adam road, and other projects.