Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab has said that 29 chlorination centers are being set up at a cost of Rs 290 million to protect citizens from waterborne diseases.
He expressed these views on Tuesday while inaugurating the Kidney Hill Chlorination Pumping Station.
Deputy Mayor Karachi Salman Abdullah Murad, Parliamentary Leader Karamullah Waqasi, Deputy Parliamentary Leader Dil Muhammad, Mumtaz Tanoli, and other PPP leaders were also present on the occasion.
The Mayor Karachi said that adding chlorine to the water will help control diseases like Naegleria. The remaining 29 chlorination centers in various areas of Karachi will become operational after Ramazan.
Mayor Karachi also highlighted that parking is a major issue on I.I. Chundrigar Road. Pakistan Railways owns most of the land. In 1995, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto allocated the railway’s backyard to the pakistan stock exchange for parking, but Pakistan Railways has not handed over the land to the Stock Exchange to date.
He mentioned his long-standing relationship with Kamran Tessori, stating that he had been his lawyer in the past. Tessori responded positively to his letter, and he hopes the Governor will also help in securing funds from the Center.
The mayor reiterated that they want to work together and resolve the city’s issues.
Responding to a question, he revealed that their anti-encroachment team was fired upon last night. Whenever they attempt to clear encroachments from roads, they face gunfire. He questioned the absence of Preedy Police Station personnel during the incident, expressing his disappointment with the station’s administration for not playing its role.
He acknowledged that drug trafficking and smuggling issues persist in the city and urged the police to maintain law and order. He clarified that he does not oppose the police but is disappointed with the Preedy Police Station’s failure to act.
The Mayor Karachi also announced that all parking contracts awarded until June 30 will be terminated. Going forward, there will be no parking contracts, and all institutions, including KMC’s charged parking, will cease parking operations.
He said that a plan has been prepared to treat 35 MGD (million gallons per day) of water at Gutter Baghicha Site. Similarly, efforts are underway, in collaboration with the public-private partnership, to purify seawater. Fourteen companies have shown interest in the project, and work on it will commence soon, he said.
