– Advertisement –
– Advertisement –
– Advertisement –
KARACHI, Sep 24 (APP): The spokesperson of the Federal Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Barrister Raja Khaliq uz Zaman Ansari on Wednesday alleged that Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab has stopped the ongoing work on the Green Line expansion project, despite the federal government’s desire to complete it in partnership with the Sindh government and the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC).
Addressing a press conference at his office, Raja Ansari stated that the federal government was committed to providing facilities to the people of Karachi and wants to see the project to be completed within time frame. He recalled that the Green Line project was approved during the PML-N government in 2016 and later it was also approved by the KMC in 2017.
He informed that around 42,000 passengers travel daily through the Green Line and the 21-kilometer main corridor has already been completed. The second phase, stretching from Gurumandir to Municipal Park Saddar, had also been approved and its construction recently began. However, according to him, the mayor abruptly stopped the work without citing any reason, causing daily financial losses to the government.
Ansari highlighted that the federal government had previously resolved key issues in Karachi, including the Abdul Sattar Edhi Exchange, NJV High School, and sewage problems. “If we are allowed to continue the work, the Green Line expansion will be completed by June next year,” he said.
He further announced that the federal government is set to launch 22 mega projects in Karachi worth Rs. 334 billion, in collaboration with the Sindh government and the city’s mayor. These projects include linking traffic from Numaish to Municipal Park, connecting Red, Yellow, and Blue Lines to the Green Line, and allocating significant funds for the Karachi Water Filter Plant. Plans also involve making the Karachi Circular Railway functional by connecting it with the port railway network and modernizing Karachi Cantt Station on a digital model.
He appealed to the mayor not to obstruct development work, stressing that the initiatives were meant for the people of Karachi and other parts of the province, not for political point scoring.
He also disclosed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit Karachi in December this year to inaugurate the mega projects, during which 200,000 laptops will be distributed among students at Mazar-e-Quaid.
Regarding Pakistan Steel Mills, Ansari said an agreement has been signed with Russia for its revival, and efforts are underway to restore the mill to full operation soon.
Concluding his remarks, he praised Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori and added that despite the PML-N not having political representation in Sindh, the federal government is carrying out projects across Karachi and the province without any vested interests.