KARACHI: Director General Karachi Development Authority (KDA) Asif Jan Siddiqui has emphasized that all key stakeholders, including KCCI, have been given special importance in the planning process the Greater Karachi Regional Plan 2047. “KCCI has been included in two of the most important committees formed under the Greater Karachi Master Plan,” he said, ensuring that its input and recommendations form an integral part of the decision-making process.
Speaking at a meeting during his visit to the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), he informed that the master plan, being developed through foreign consultants, will serve as the guiding framework for all future development and infrastructure decisions.
Asif Siddiqui has said that the last master plan for Karachi was being formulated in 2020 but since then, the city has evolved considerably and new challenges have emerged that were not envisaged earlier.
“To address these realities and meet the city’s growing needs up to 2047, the Sindh Government decided to update the 2020 Master Plan, leading to the formulation of the Greater Karachi Regional Master Plan 2047, which will define development priorities and guide future infrastructure decisions”, he stated.
Seeking insights into the functioning and jurisdiction of the KDA, the KCCI President Muhammad Rehan Hanif requested DG KDA to share comprehensive details about the Greater Karachi Regional Plan 2047, which, despite being widely discussed, remains little known in terms of its objectives and implementation framework.
He further stated that Karachi, which contributes 67 percent to the national exchequer, over 90 percent to the provincial revenue, and nearly 52 percent of the country’s exports, is not seeking charity but simply demands recognition and fair returns commensurate with its economic contribution.
Vice Chairman BMG Jawed Bilwani, drew attention to the issue of encroached KDA plots, emphasizing that while the KDA already has an Anti-Encroachment Cell, there is a pressing need for accelerated and transparent action. He mentioned that he had earlier discussed this matter with DG KDA to explore practical ways and means to retrieve such plots. “It is indeed encouraging to see that work in this regard has already commenced,” he noted, “but we are keen to learn about the progress made so far, particularly how many plots have been successfully recovered and what concrete plan of action is being pursued by KDA to address this challenge.”
Chairman of KCCI’s Subcommittee on Upliftment of Karachi, Nusair Siraj Teli, pointed out that while the KDA is in the process of formulating the Greater Karachi Regional Plan 2047 through foreign consultants, the prevailing dilapidated state of Karachi demands immediate and urgent action on a war-footing basis. “As a leading industrialist, I have numerous opportunities to relocate elsewhere,” he remarked, “but my deep emotional attachment to Karachi keeps me committed to this city.”
Nusair Teli emphasized that Karachi is truly a ‘Mini Pakistan’, despite its unmatched economic and social significance, Karachi continues to suffer from chronic infrastructural decay and administrative neglect.