Mr. Irfan Iqbal Sheikh, President FPCCI, has welcomed the visit of Director General Karachi Development Authority (KDA) to the Federation House to address a high-profile gathering of the business, industry and trade community of Karachi. The business community put forward their concerns and apprehensions pertaining to the city’s infrastructural issues and the shortcomings in urban planning & development.
FPCCI Chief apprised that SITE area alone needs repair and reconstruction of 20 roads. Additionally, all industrial zones in Karachi are facing obstacles in their smooth operations due to broken urban infrastructure; which include, dilapidated roads, chronically choked sewerage lines, often out-of-order telephone lines and broken street lights.
Mr. Irfan Iqbal Sheikh maintained that Karachi contributes 60 percent revenues to country’s exchequer and yet it has been deprived of even the most basic of utilities. He urged the KDA authorities to come up with a master plan to resolve the burning infrastructural issues.
President FPCCI explained that industrial areas work 24 / 7 / 365 as factories never sleep and they need the civic amenities accordingly. He also expressed his profound concerns that lack of cleanliness on roads & other public places and mixing of sewerage water with the drinking water, factory workers are falling prey to water-borne, viral / contagious and mosquito-borne diseases like malaria, dengue, diarrhea, gastroenteritis, typhoid, etc.
Mr. Irfan Iqbal Sheikh highlighted the fact that most of city’s infrastructural insufficiencies are due to the lack of coordination and operational harmony amongst the various federal, provincial and district departments and agencies. When electricity, gas and telephone operators lay their underground lines, they habitually and carelessly end up cutting or damaging other utilities’ lines, he added.
Mr. Muhammad Ali Shah, Director General KDA, also listened to the individual concerns of the business leaders patiently; and, assured them of major improvements in the city’s infrastructure in the near-term. He added that major projects are under way and the business community will get relief on many of their concerns soon.
