Speaking at a press conference in Karachi, MQM leader Farooq Sattar criticized the city’s key development projects, stating they are stalled due to persistent funding issues, inter-agency coordination problems, and regulatory hurdles. He highlighted several projects, including the K-IV water supply scheme, the Red Line bus corridor, and halted roadworks like the Karimabad underpass and the Malir Expressway. “They can neither conceive a development project nor can they deliver it,” he asserted.
Green Line BRT and Administrative Hurdles
Sattar specifically addressed the Green Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. He mentioned that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), backed by the Sindh government, recently halted the federally-funded Rs6 billion Green Line extension. The official reason given was the contractor’s failure to obtain a “no-objection certificate” (NOC) before resuming work. Sattar dismissed this as an “inter-departmental problem” and questioned the delay, noting that all necessary approvals were already secured back in 2017. He alleged that the true reason for stopping the project was that the Karachi mayor “could not digest” the credit going to the MQM.
Criticism of Government Performance
The MQM leader also accused the provincial government of failing to complete other crucial projects. He pointed to the K-IV water project, which was launched in the 2000s, saying the government sat on it for 14 years without completing its first phase. Sattar called the government “infertile” and stated that the public should not expect them to finish any projects or provide relief.
He also brought up other abandoned projects, such as the underpasses in Karimabad and Gulistan-i-Jauhar, and a flyover for the Korangi Causeway promised in 2022. He also pointed to the damage on Shahrah-i-Bhutto caused by recent rainfall, and urged the Sindh government to apologize to the people of Karachi for the city’s poor state.
It is worth noting that last month, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also criticized the federal government for the delays in the K-IV project, stating that he expected the prime minister to show the same “speed and efficiency” in Karachi as in Lahore. The Sindh government has also raised serious concerns over the “inadequate allocation” of funds in the federal budget.
