logo
City's first beach resort opens

City's first beach resort opens

Express Tribune2 days ago

Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab inaugurated the Cove Beach Resort at Hawk's Bay on Friday, the first-ever beach resort in the metropolis established under a public-private partnership (PPP) model.
While speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Mayor declared that Karachiites no longer need to travel abroad for premium beach experiences, as the city now boasts its own world-class leisure destination. The resort, completed in just six months, offers state-of-the-art facilities and is now open to the public.
The mayor described the project as a milestone achievement for the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and a step toward modernising the city's infrastructure.
Wahab announced that another beach resort is in the pipeline, likely to be developed in Ibrahim Hyderi or Malir, ensuring broader access to high-quality recreational spaces for citizens. He stressed that enhancing Karachi's leisure and tourism sector remains a top priority under his administration.
The mayor outlined several key projects aimed at improving Karachi's livability and economic vitality, which include cleaning of 46 major stormwater drains to prevent urban flooding during monsoon; beautification of II Chundrigar Road, the city's financial hub; preservation of historic landmarks such as Denso Hall, Empress Market, and Frere Hall; development of a mangrove conservation park to promote environmental awareness.
The inauguration was attended by Deputy Mayor Salman Abdullah Murad, City Council Parliamentary Leader Karamullah Waqasi, Deputy Parliamentary Leader Dil Muhammad, and various UC chairmen and officials.
In a separate meeting with the Sindhi Muslim Housing Society's Managing Committee, Mayor Wahab directed the KMC Land Department to take immediate action against illegal constructions and encroachments on KMC-owned properties. He asked for weekly progress reports to ensure enforcement transparency.
Meanwhile, the mayor has formally written to the Federal Minister for Commerce and Chairman of the Export Development Fund (EDF) Board, Jam Kamal Khan, expressing deep concern over the continued neglect of Karachi in the allocation and utilisation of Export Development Funds. The Mayor has urged the federal government to ensure that Karachi receives its rightful share of support and funding, commensurate with its critical role in Pakistan's economy.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

KMC set to unveil surplus budget this week
KMC set to unveil surplus budget this week

Express Tribune

time14 hours ago

  • Express Tribune

KMC set to unveil surplus budget this week

Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has finalised its budget for the fiscal year 2025-26, which is expected to be presented in the coming days. According to sources, the surplus KMC budget is likely to be presented on June 25 or 26. Per information available to The Express Tribune KMC budget shows a surplus of Rs146.2 million. The estimated total revenue is Rs55.28 billion almost Rs5.58 billion higher than last year. Similarly, total expenditures are projected at Rs55.13 billion about Rs5 billion higher than the previous fiscal, keeping them close to the revenue figure. Last year, KMC City Council had approved Rs49.602 billion budget with a surplus of Rs99.707 million for financial year 2024-25. Mayor Murtaza Wahab had presented the budget with total income estimated at Rs49.7 billion, while the estimated expenditures were Rs49.6 billion. Current Receipts were Rs39.7 billion and Capital Receipts were Rs815.2 billion, while funds for the District Annual Development Programme (ADP) were Rs9.16 billion. Meanwhile, for the upcoming fiscal of 2025-26, sources said that over Rs20 billion have been allocated for development projects. An amount of Rs7.29 billion has been earmarked for medical and health facilities. Salaries and administrative expenses will consume Rs31.59 billion. For the World Bank-funded CLICK project, Rs7.43 billion have been allocated. In addition, Rs9 billion have been approved for District Annual Development Programme (ADP) schemes, and Rs13.41 billion have been allocated for pensions and retired employees. A budget of over Rs5.3 billion has been set aside for municipal services. Engineering projects will receive Rs4.37 billion, while parks and horticulture have been allocated more than Rs1.77 billion. For IT infrastructure and services, a budget of Rs98.5 million has been allocated. Current receipts are estimated at Rs44.14 billion. The corporation plans to carry out development works worth Rs300 million using its own resources. Under the District ADP, Rs4.63 billion have been allocated for road improvement.

City's first beach resort opens
City's first beach resort opens

Express Tribune

time2 days ago

  • Express Tribune

City's first beach resort opens

Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab inaugurated the Cove Beach Resort at Hawk's Bay on Friday, the first-ever beach resort in the metropolis established under a public-private partnership (PPP) model. While speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Mayor declared that Karachiites no longer need to travel abroad for premium beach experiences, as the city now boasts its own world-class leisure destination. The resort, completed in just six months, offers state-of-the-art facilities and is now open to the public. The mayor described the project as a milestone achievement for the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and a step toward modernising the city's infrastructure. Wahab announced that another beach resort is in the pipeline, likely to be developed in Ibrahim Hyderi or Malir, ensuring broader access to high-quality recreational spaces for citizens. He stressed that enhancing Karachi's leisure and tourism sector remains a top priority under his administration. The mayor outlined several key projects aimed at improving Karachi's livability and economic vitality, which include cleaning of 46 major stormwater drains to prevent urban flooding during monsoon; beautification of II Chundrigar Road, the city's financial hub; preservation of historic landmarks such as Denso Hall, Empress Market, and Frere Hall; development of a mangrove conservation park to promote environmental awareness. The inauguration was attended by Deputy Mayor Salman Abdullah Murad, City Council Parliamentary Leader Karamullah Waqasi, Deputy Parliamentary Leader Dil Muhammad, and various UC chairmen and officials. In a separate meeting with the Sindhi Muslim Housing Society's Managing Committee, Mayor Wahab directed the KMC Land Department to take immediate action against illegal constructions and encroachments on KMC-owned properties. He asked for weekly progress reports to ensure enforcement transparency. Meanwhile, the mayor has formally written to the Federal Minister for Commerce and Chairman of the Export Development Fund (EDF) Board, Jam Kamal Khan, expressing deep concern over the continued neglect of Karachi in the allocation and utilisation of Export Development Funds. The Mayor has urged the federal government to ensure that Karachi receives its rightful share of support and funding, commensurate with its critical role in Pakistan's economy.

Residents of Karachi call for attention
Residents of Karachi call for attention

Business Recorder

time3 days ago

  • Business Recorder

Residents of Karachi call for attention

While the concerned residents watch in silence, the city of Karachi falls from one low to another. Karachi, once hailed as the 'City of Lights' and the economic powerhouse of Pakistan, has once again been ranked among the bottom five of the world's least liveable cities in the 2025 Global Liveability Index by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The metropolis ranked 170 on a list of 173 countries — just above Dhaka, Tripoli and Damascus — and had a score of 42.7 on the index score, with a score of 100 being the 'most liveable'. Karachi's fall from a model metropolis to one of the least liveable cities is a story of systemic governance failures, lack of ownership, haphazard and rapid urbanization, and indifferent attitude of its residents to a greater extent. This consistent low ranking reflects the city's long-standing and deep-rooted challenges. The decay is on all accounts. There is not a single segment which can be rated as anywhere near to being satisfactory - be it civic amenities, local government organisations, law and order situation, environment, public health and education. Decaying roads, insufficient public transport, and lack of urban zoning have led to traffic chaos, slums, and encroachments. Drainage and waste management systems are outdated, causing frequent urban flooding and unhygienic conditions. Chronic shortages of potable water, load-shedding, and broken sewerage systems plague most neighborhoods. Multiple overlapping administrative authorities (KMC, provincial government, cantonments) result in inefficiency and blame-shifting. Political turf wars hinder long-term development planning and discourage investment. Although improved since the 2010s, Karachi still struggles with street crime, gang violence in pockets, and police inefficiency. Law and order issues affect residents' quality of life and investor confidence. Severe air and water pollution, coastal erosion, unchecked industrial waste, and the loss of green spaces have made Karachi one of the most environmentally-stressed cities. Overburdened hospitals, inadequate primary health coverage, and crumbling public education infrastructure further lower liveability standards. It is not so much a question of lack of funds availability to Karachi to set things right, but it is more of a lack of will to perform and transparency in the deployment and utilisation of the allocated funds for the right cause. A good example to cite that things are doable in Pakistan where there's a will to deliver is the mass transportation system of Karachi comparable to that of Lahore. A Japanese soft loan was offered for the revival of Karachi Circular Railway and Chinese financing under CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor) for Karachi Mass Transit System. While Karachi is struggling since years to put on ground the Green Line Mass Transit System and revive circular railway for the mass transit of its citizens, the city of Lahore has since long provided its citizens a state-of-art mass transit 'Orange Line' under CPEC financing for transportation of its residents from the rural part of Lahore to urban parts and another inter-city mass transit bus system, financed by the government of Punjab for transportation. Lahore has provided its residents a decent mode of transportation. The mass transit system has also been provided to the residents of Faisalabad, Multan and Rawalpindi. Insofar as other civic amenities are concerned, the city of Karachi is left far behind its peers in the country. Onward solutions for a livable Karachi are many like a single governance authority, a decent mass transit system & infrastructure development, green and resilient urban planning with revival of parks and coastal zones, smart policing and community safety, public-private partnerships (PPPs) for water, sanitation, health, education and all sectors to improve service delivery and develop Karachi's resilience to heatwaves, floods, and sea-level rise through early warning systems and coastal defences. These are the basic expected from a city government and all are doable. The civil society of Karachi is a committed and vibrant society and many doable plans have been provided to the provincial and local governments. There are many listeners but no doers. A number of philanthropists and private sector of Karachi have very ably taken over some of the responsibility of the city in the field of education and healthcare and have provided relief to the citizens of the city. They may have to extend their engagement in the infrastructure development of the city under public private partnerships. With over 20 million residents and a strategic economic position, turning Karachi around is not just a local priority but a national imperative to save Karachi, a city of teeming millions. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store