PPP govt wants to restore Karachi of 1960s to 1980s: Murtaza Wahab

KARACHI, FEB 18 (DNA) — Administrator Karachi, Sindh governments Spokesman and CM Advisor on Law Barrister Murtaza Wahab on Friday said that they want to restore Karachi of 1960’s to 1980’s.

“The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation  (KMC) is introducing a new approach in which the participation of citizens is essential. The Fish Aquarium, located in Clifton, has fond childhood memories. The aquarium was closed 25 years ago. With the help of CLICK, this aquarium will be restored and opened to the public in the next six months at a cost of Rs. 800 million,” the Administrator expressed these views while addressing a groundbreaking ceremony for the restoration of Fish Aquarium at Bagh Ibn Qasim Clifton here.

Also present on the occasion were Deputy Commissioner South Irshad Sodhar, Metropolitan Commissioner Syed Afzal Zaidi, Director General Parks Junaidullah Khan, Senior Director Recreation Mansoor Qazi, Senior Director Municipal Services Mazhar Khan and other officers.

The Administrator Karachi said that Fish Aquarium is part of 130 acres of Bagh Ibn Qasim. Those who come here in their childhood still remember the tour of the fish house, but with the passage of time, where other things in the city deteriorated, this aquarium could not survive and the citizens lost this facility.

He said that the present administration has taken immediate steps to take notice of this and now that the procurement process has been completed.

“The Fish Aquarium will provide an opportunity for students and researchers to get a closer look at marine life and provide another excellent recreational and informational facility to the citizens near the beach,” Barrister Murtaza Wahab said.

He said that public places in all parts of the city including Bagh Ibn Qasim are being restored and opened to the public. He said that KMC and DMCs are working on these projects. Tree planting will be done to make Bagh Ibn Qasim more green.

There will also be new standard restaurants and washrooms for citizens, he added. He said that Kidney Hill Park is another example of the city’s improvement work. He said that if civil society and the common man are with us, we will be able to do these things in a much better way.

“We hope that the private sector will support us for the betterment of the city, the province and the country. I have always said that this is my city, my province and my country, so I try to improve as much as possible in every field, whether it is related to KMC or KDA,” he said.

He said that the federal government is not aware of the plight of the people crushed by inflation, adding that if a government  is aware of the ground realities, then the current crisis can be overcome. He said that the Sindh’s share of Rs 32 billion has been deducted which is a blatant violation of constitutional rights and principles.

He asked the Finance Minister to take immediate notice and give Sindh its due share in NFC so that the salaries of the employees could release and development work can be continued without any hindrance. Earlier addressing the function, Metropolitan Commissioner Karachi Syed Afzal Zaidi said that Bagh Ibn Qasim Fish Aquarium Project is important for Karachi.

He said that the city should have a number of such aquariums for the general public to learn about marine life. We are trying to reopen all the public places in the city, we will do everything with the help of civil society,” he added.

Deputy Commissioner South Irshad Sodhar said that the fish aquarium project would be a beautiful gift of the government to the citizens of Karachi. He said that efforts of Sindh government to improve public places in Karachi are proving successful. =DNA