The coordination committee comprising Sindh and federal government authorities has decided to set up combined effluent treatment plants (CETPs) through public-private partnerships.

Other decisions included the augmentation of the Greater Karachi Bulk Water Supply Scheme K-IV to be carried out by the provincial government, the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) and other agencies issuing no-objection certificates (NOCs) for the Mauripur Expressway and ICI Interchange project.

The meeting was told that the industries department was the sponsoring agency of the project for the establishment of five CETPs for Rs11.799 billion, with 33 per cent share of the Centre and 67 per cent share of the provincial government.

The project was approved by Ecnec and the administrative approval of the project was accorded on March 12, 2018. The cost estimates of the components of the CETP-2 and the CETP-4 with interceptors have exceeded the estimates of the different components in the revised PC-I.

The CETP-1, the CETP-2 and the CETP-4 have been included in phase-I of the project because these have no land issues and the buildings of the treatment plants or the pumping stations can be initiated without any impediments. The revised PC-I of Rs18.143 billion is in the approval process.

In a meeting of the Sindh P&D Board, it had been decided to execute this project through a public-private partnership. Therefore, the coordination committee decided to prepare a proper presentation for executing the project through a public-private partnership.

The meeting also discussed the Sindh Rangers vacating the Malir Halt and Mosamiat bus depots for the launching of the Red Line bus rapid transit system (BRTS) in Karachi.

Karachi Commissioner Iqbal Memon said the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has released Rs1.32 billion as compensation for the resettlement of the people who had to vacate their homes in the city due to the anti-encroachment operation.

The NDMA informed the Karachi Division’s administration that they had released more amounts. The commissioner claimed Rs518.713 million in excess expenditures had been incurred on hiring machinery for the operation.

The meeting decided that the city commissioner and NDMA officials would sit together to reconcile the expenditures and settle the payment issue within a week.

The CM said that under the new LG law, the Karachi mayor has been made chairman of the city’s solid waste management board to be established so that proper cleaning of the metropolis can be ensured.

The meeting was also attended by Federal Information Technology Minister Syed Aminul Haque, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Ali Shah, provincial ministers Syed Nasir Hussain Shah and Saeed Ghani, Karachi Administrator Barrister Murtaza Wahab, Federal P&D Secretary Aziz Uqaili, Sindh P&D Board Chairman Hassan Naqvi, Transport Secretary Shariq Ahmed, Karachi Water & Sewerage Board MD Asadullah Khan and Metropolitan Commissioner Afzal Zaidi.