Prime Minister expressed concerns over environment hazards in Karachi

Lahore : Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Saturday expressed serious concerns over the environment hazards in Karachi city as well as the ports and directed the authorities concerned to address the issue on fast track basis besides seeking formal proposal to resolve this issue immediately.

The prime minister issued the directives in a meeting chaired by him at Governor House here wherein he was briefed on the ongoing development projects being funded by the federal government.

The meeting was also apprised about the critical infrastructure projects required in Karachi, especially freight movement from the ports to up-country, to support local, national and transnational trade and facilitate business activities as well as easing passengers’ movement.

The prime minister was briefed that work on Layari Expressway was 97 percent complete, and its north bound section will be operational by the end of this year.

Regarding K-4, the meeting was informed that the first phase of the project would be operative by next year.

Prime Minister Abbasi stressed that all the stakeholders needed to collaborate to simultaneously execute remaining phases of this project of public importance. On its part, the federal government had provided funding for the project; remaining bottlenecks should be removed through coordination.

The meeting was also informed about the progress on Green Line BRT which was fully federally funded project, in terms of civil infrastructure, planned for mass transit corridor for transport infrastructure. It was informed that the project would be operative by the end of current financial year.

On the critical transport infrastructure projects for Karachi, the prime minister asked the stakeholders concerned at the local, provincial and federal levels to sit together and resolve coordination issues for proceeding ahead to arrive at a well coordinated plan of action. He also called for evolving a proper development and strategy plan by local, federal and provincial governments to move ahead.

The meeting was attended by Governor Sindh Mohammad Zubair, Minister for Ports and Shipping Mir Hasil Bizenjo, Minister of State for Ports Ch. Jafar Iqbal, Mayor Karachi Waseem Akhtar, Chief Secretary Sindh, Chairman KPT, Chairman Port Qasim Authority and other senior government officials.