By Aziz Khatri
KARACHI: The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Council held its general meeting on Monday at the Council Hall, KMC Head Office, with Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab presiding. During the session, seven resolutions were unanimously approved, including four listed on the agenda and three private motions.
The meeting began with prayers and condolences for a young child who had tragically fallen into an open manhole in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, highlighting the human cost of urban infrastructure challenges. The opposition held the Mayor accountable for the tragic death of the innocent child who was unfortunately preyed by an open manhole.
Among the resolutions passed, the council approved a joint venture between the KMC Estate Department and Zubair Associates for a vertically charged parking facility at Bolton Market in the Old City area. Another motion sanctioned the leasing of a four-acre vacant plot at Bus Terminal Gulshan-e-Ghazi, Baldia Town, intended for parking purposes, particularly serving informal settlements.
The council also approved the PC-I cost estimates for the improvement and beautification of roads and footpaths surrounding commercial areas across Karachi. Similar estimates were greenlit for multiple business districts, aiming to enhance pedestrian access and infrastructure quality.
A private resolution received unanimous support, authorizing long-term measures to rehabilitate persons with disabilities in the city. The plan includes providing monthly rations, access to education, essential facilities, and establishing institutions to equip disabled individuals with skills and employment opportunities.
Another resolution expressed condolences over the passing of senior Pakistan Peoples Party leader Lal Bakhsh Bhutto, approving the renaming of the Gutter Baghicha Treatment Plant in recognition of his political services.
The council also sanctioned immediate repair works on both sides of Business Recorder Road, from Guru Mandir to Lasbela Signal, incorporating it among the 106 roads under KMC’s jurisdiction as part of broader efforts to improve urban infrastructure.
Members of the council shared their views during the session, reflecting on the need for both infrastructure development and social welfare initiatives. The meeting was subsequently adjourned indefinitely.
