The City Council on Friday put deep deliberations on Karachi Strategic Development Plan-2020 (KSDP-2020) to give legal cover to the 5th Master Plan formulated for Karachi since 1923. Opposition members, however, suggested that passage of the city-wide development plan should be delayed for about a month in view of the forthcoming general elections.
The city council general session with City Naib Nazim Nasrin Jalil in the chair was held here in the City Council Hall, Old KMC Building, M A Jinnah Road. As soon as the session was resumed members from opposition benches Rafiq Ahmed, Abdul Razzak and Mehboob-ur-Rehman sought convenor's permission to talk on point of order.
Rafique Ahmed, of Al-Khidmat panel, backed by Saeed Ghani, leader of the opposition, and Mehboob, termed the plan as important and proposed a one-month delay, as according to him most of the members had not made thorough study of the plan.
Ghani said a file attached with the KSDP-2020 was missing and therefore needed to be brought before the house for knowledge of the members. On this, Ahsan Siddiqui of Haq Parast Group, lashed out at opposition members for talking of delay, and requested the convenor to stick to the Master Plane 2020. Leader of the house Mohammad Asif Siddiqui also supported Ahsan's opinion.
Abdul Razzak tried to draw attention of the house towards dilapidated condition of the road and sewerage lines in front of the city council, which he claimed were lying unchecked for the last three years. A treasury member however rebuffed him by saying that there was no rule of the Haq Parast group three years back.
The convenor then asked Iftikhar Ali Qaimkhani, Executive District Officer (EDO) ,Master Plan Group of Offices, City District Government Karachi (CDGK) to brief the house on KSDP-2020.
Highlighting the commercial, social, demographic, and administrative features of the metropolis the EDO dwelt upon salient characteristics of the plan which would materialised in over 13 years to come.
Some of the key features of KSDP-2020 include development of new urban centres; regeneration of the inner city; promotion of vertical development and densification; policy of urban renewals; integration of civil areas of the city; incorporation of Goths into urban fabric; development of city's entry points, industrial zones, diplomatic enclaves, additional site for Karachi International Airport, education city, landfill sites and garbage stations; enhancement in supply of institutional finance.
Other sectors to be developed under the Master Plan are education, transport, sports, housing, health, water, sewerage, solid waste management, storm water drainage, electricity, urban agriculture, disaster management etc.
With strict orders from the convenor to avoid debate the presentation was followed by a series of questions and suggestions from the two ever-opposing sides of the council.
The plan was backed by a Supreme Court's October 10 verdict, which had made the KSDP-2020 binding upon all the stakeholders/civic agencies functioning in Karachi, Qaimkhani replied when Ghani questioned legal status of the plan. The EDO Master Plan said throughout preparation of the KSDP-2020 the CDGK had been in close contact with the federal agencies.
The convenor's attitude was not encouraging when Mohammad Islam from opposition expressed concern that the plan was lacking provision of health, education and transport facilities in suburban areas of the city which are based in Landhi and Bin Qasim towns.
To allay Islam's concern the EDO said the city's current 16 million (2006) population was expected to reach 27 million by 2020 when around 45 percent people would be compelled to turn to the suburban areas. So, an even-handed infrastructure development was necessary in the "under-served" towns, he said.
Abdul Jalil from opposition, who was appreciative of the Haq Parast leadership for formulating the KSDP-2020, suggested that the plan was needed to be open for future amendments and be given an English version formally. He also pointed out that some contradictions were there in English and Urdu versions of the development plan. The convenor asked Abdul Jalil to present his suggestions in the form of a resolution in the council.
An opposition member from rural areas of the metropolis also complained that people of his area were not taken on board neither in preparation of the Master Plan nor on the issue of allotment of thousands of acres of land to different influential people.
In reply, the EDO said it was Sindh government which had allotted around 9000 acres land to different personalities and institutions in the said areas, and not the CDGK. He, however, skipped the answer on making the KSDP-2020 more participatory with the convenor saying that "now you are being incorporated into the plan". Later, the convenor unexpectedly adjourned the session for December 8, 2007, without asking the house to table or vote for a resolution on Master Plan.