Karachi Administrator Iftikhar Ali Shallwani said positive changes are expected in the metropolis as soon as deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners, police, and other law enforcement agencies start fully cooperating with him for systematic uplift of the city.

He said this while addressing a webinar earlier hosted by Karachi Council on Foreign Relations (KCFR).

The administrator said him having replaced an elected mayor, a lot is being expected of him not only by the citizenry but also by Sindh and federal governments.

He said that the port city is “mini Pakistan” and as its population increases, so do its problems.

“There is never a dull moment in administrating such a big city.”

During the online seminar, Shallwani expanded on waste management, water supply, sewerage, transport and other issues of Karachi while also responding to questions of the members of KCFR.

He said he is grateful to the Sindh as well as the federal government for vesting their trust in him for such an important position. “Being a bureaucrat myself, I found cooperation and assistance from DCs, ACs, police and other agencies headed by other bureaucrats,” adding that he expected to see positive results in the metropolis soon.

He said that few Chinese companies are given contracts to collect waste and by and large are doing a “good job” in this regard. However, few shortcomings have been pointed out, he added.

Shallwani said that improving water supply to the citizens of Karachi is among his top priorities. However, number of agencies including DHA, Cantonments, KMC, CDA, MDA and others are involved before the water reaches the end-user but despite all odds, visible changes in this regard can be witnessed in the city.

Talking about the woes of daily commuters, he said Karachi faces huge transportation problem. However, he added this issue would be resolved soon since transportation systems like Red line, Green line, Orange line and Brown line are inching towards completion across different regions of the city.

Karachi administrator said that few BRTs need some time to be built but some are nearing completion and could start functioning as soon as early 2021.

He noted Turkey has proposed a tram service from Metropole to Tower via Gymkhana, assuring that the project would be completed having kept in mind modern transportation needs.

Speaking about a range of operational issues he is currently faced, Shallwani said drainage and sewage system is a “great headache for the city administration as it is very old”. However, some projects have been initiated to improve the sanitation system of Karachi, he added.

He said that he is also planning to turn Karachi into a “walkable city” akin to some European and South American cities but at present many areas do not even have a footpath.

“When tourists arrive here, they do try to walk around but there is not footpath,” he said and added that footpaths in many areas would be served up in a while.

People of the city, Shallwani said, would shortly see many new sports complexes and improvement in the current ones, adding that the people love cricket and he would try to encourage sports activities.

Karachi, being the tourist hotspot, he said, has a huge potential and that he is trying to provide necessary facilities in this regard.

“There are few roads that even resemble old city centres in Italy and Spain,” he remarked. The administrator said local tourists would visit Karachi instead of people from here going to the northern areas of the country.

He asserted portion of Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) would get operational soon. However, the entire project would take longer, he maintained