KARACHI: Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab has declared the ongoing financial year as the “year of development” for the metropolis, announcing that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) is spending Rs46 billion on development projects across the city. The mayor said the large-scale investment reflects the city administration’s focus on addressing long-standing infrastructure gaps and providing immediate relief to residents.
The mayor made these remarks while addressing a press conference at the KMC head office, where he was joined by Deputy Parliamentary Leader in the City Council Dil Muhammad, Jaman Darwan, other elected representatives, and senior officers of the corporation. He said the city government has set an ambitious target of completing 799 development schemes by June 30, 2026, underlining the urgency of improving civic conditions in Pakistan’s largest city.
Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that KMC has allocated Rs4 billion specifically for the improvement of Karachi’s four major corridors, which are expected to ease traffic flow and enhance connectivity in key parts of the city. He also announced that work on the construction of new graveyards will begin soon, with an allocation of Rs400 million to address burial space shortages in the growing metropolis.
Highlighting progress on water-related infrastructure, the mayor said that repair work on the old canal from Hub Dam has been completed. According to him, this will help resolve a major water supply issue affecting District West and Keamari, areas that have faced persistent shortages for years. He added that improving water distribution remains a top priority for the city administration.
The mayor further revealed that the tendering process for the augmentation of the K-IV water supply project will be initiated shortly. In addition, an elevated water line costing Rs2.25 billion is being laid for Lyari, which he said would significantly improve water availability in the densely populated area. These initiatives, he noted, are part of a broader strategy to strengthen Karachi’s water infrastructure.
Reflecting on the past two years, Barrister Wahab said that his team has worked tirelessly, taken difficult but timely decisions, and adopted the right strategies to make these development projects possible. He stressed that resolving Karachi’s traffic challenges requires coordinated efforts among district governments, town administrations, and all relevant institutions, rather than isolated actions.
The mayor said that many of the challenges previously faced by KMC have now largely been overcome and that the corporation’s financial position is clearly improving. He expressed optimism about the future, stating that the coming period would be positive not only for Karachi but also for Sindh and Pakistan as a whole.
As the first six months of the current financial year draw to a close, Barrister Wahab said he considered it important to brief the public on the city’s development plans and their implementation. He reiterated Karachi’s central role in the national economy, calling it Pakistan’s “game changer.” He cited the fact that the first bids in the recent PIA auction came from Karachi as evidence of the city’s economic strength.
At the same time, the mayor lamented what he described as negative propaganda against Karachi, saying it causes pain and distorts the city’s true image. He emphasized that the people of Karachi have always played a positive role in addressing Pakistan’s challenges and will continue to do so through resilience, contribution, and development-led progress.
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