Rs9.25 Billion Allocated for Karachi Industrial Areas; Development Work to Be Completed by December: Mayor Karachi

KARACHI: Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab has said that Rs9.25 billion has been allocated for the development of the city’s industrial areas, with the ongoing development work expected to be completed by December.

Speaking at an event organised by the Federal B Area Trade and Industry (FBATI), the mayor said development funds had been released to industrial areas for the third time and it was now the responsibility of industrial organisations to ensure the projects were completed swiftly.

He said Rs9.25 billion had been transferred to the fund account for all industrial areas of Karachi, adding that Federal B Area Trade and Industry was leading other industrial zones in terms of development work.

Murtaza Wahab said the development projects would be completed by December under a public-private partnership model. He said the government would provide the funds while industrialists would undertake the development work.

He added that he would inform Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah that the funds provided by the government were being utilised by industrialists for road infrastructure.

The mayor said additional funds would also be allocated for the development of industrial areas in the next financial year.

Thanking the leadership of the Pakistan Peoples Party for providing funds for the fire brigade, Murtaza Wahab said a Rs7 billion development programme for a modern fire brigade system would be launched.

He said new recruitment would also be carried out in the fire brigade department, adding that a letter had already been sent to the Sindh government seeking approval for the recruitment. He expressed hope that the ban on recruitment would be lifted soon after approval by the provincial cabinet.

The mayor said 17 fire tenders had become non-functional but were now being restored, with the required budget already approved.

Murtaza Wahab said water availability remained Karachi’s biggest challenge, although water scarcity was now an issue affecting the entire country. He said industrial zones required around 150 million gallons of water daily.

He said industries were currently meeting their water requirements through subsoil water, while revenue generated from subsoil water had started being deposited with the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation.

He added that Pakistan’s first Industrial Water Park in Haroonabad had become operational on a testing basis.

According to the mayor, the Industrial Water Park would treat water through a treatment cycle and supply 35 million gallons of treated water to industries. The treated water would be supplied to industries at government-approved rates.

Murtaza Wahab said the Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party would inaugurate the Industrial Water Park in September. He added that Pakistan’s first Breast Surgery Centre would also be inaugurated in September.

Commenting on the situation in Punjab following heavy rains, the mayor said conditions there were extremely difficult. He said he would not criticise the Punjab government during the crisis and that Karachi stood with the province in the difficult situation.

Referring to Mustafa Kamal’s recent press conference, Murtaza Wahab said a press conference could not resolve the issue of creating a new province. Under the Constitution, he said, a resolution would have to be presented in the assembly for the creation of a new province.

The mayor said the country’s biggest challenge was the decision-making process, adding that files often became stuck within the bureaucracy. He said that despite an ECC decision, the bureaucracy had been unable to resolve the $20 million Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) issue.

FBATI President Sheikh Tahseen, while addressing the event, thanked Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah for providing a grant of Rs860 million. He said the Commissioner Karachi and Deputy Commissioner Central had been extending continuous cooperation to FBATI.

Sheikh Tahseen said the industrial association had received a development grant in 2026 after a gap dating back to 2018. He proposed an annual maintenance budget for FBATI, while the Sindh chief minister assured the association that an annual maintenance budget would be provided.