Sindh Local Government Minister, Saeed Ghani, has said that there exists no master plan to manage Karachi despite its population running into several million. The Local Government Minister stated this on Thursday while speaking as the chief guest at the launching ceremony of “Greater Karachi Regional Plan-2047”. The Sindh Local Government Department and Karachi Development Authority, in partnership with international consultants, have been jointly preparing the plan. Ghani recalled that five master plans had been prepared for Karachi up until now since the pre-partition era, but none of the plans could be implemented for different reasons. He said that a large city like Karachi required a comprehensive master plan. Ghani informed the audience at the launching ceremony that the Greater Karachi Regional Plan 2047 is being prepared for the purpose, which would be completed by August 2026.
The Local Government Minister expressed his pleasure that all the audience members at the event were keen to contribute to brightening Karachi’s future. He said that Karachi was not just the financial hub of the country but also served as an icon of perseverance, diversity, and development in Pakistan. Ghani informed the audience that the previous master plans for Karachi had been prepared in 1923, 1948, 1952, 1974, 1991, and 2007. The last such project was the Karachi Strategic Development Plan 2020, which couldn’t be implemented due to various reasons. He recalled that the Water Commission in 2018 had asked the provincial government to notify the Karachi Strategic Development Plan despite that it could remain enforced only for the next two years. The Local Government Minister said that the plan had been notified for a limited period, despite that he had proposed to prepare a fresh master plan for the city.
He said the provincial authorities had tried that the new master plan for the city should remain open to changes. Ghani told the audience that the new master plan had been associated with the year 2047 because of future centennial celebrations for the foundation of Pakistan. He said that work on the new project had been launched in October 2024 and it was likely to be completed within two years. He said that the new project had been named Greater Karachi Regional Plan 2047 because different stakeholders and agencies kept on sharing their reservations and suggestions for a new master plan for the city. He said that proposals and reforms suggested by different concerned agencies and stakeholders would be incorporated into the new master plan. He said the different political parties that have a stake in the city would also be invited to share their expert opinion on the new master plan for Karachi. The Local Government Minister told the audience that similarly concerned civil society representatives and eminent persons from different walks of life would also be consulted for finalizing the new master plan for the city.
Ghani told the audience that the new master plan would take into account comprehensive housing, transport, climate change, and infrastructure, water supply, and sewerage requirements for the city as per its increasing population. He hoped that the new master plan would facilitate the planners and residents of the city for the next 20 years. He expressed the resolve of the provincial government that the new master plan didn’t favour any particular area, political party, or community in the city; rather, it would serve the needs of the entire Karachi. He said that a new master plan would be finalized transparently after consulting all the concerned stakeholders.
He hoped that the project would have historical importance for the city, province, and country. He said the new master plan stood for making Karachi a modern metropolitan city that would meet all the international urban standards.
