KARACHI   -   A delegation of the World Bank (WB), led by its Country Director (CD) Patchamuthu Illangovan, called on Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah here at the CM House on Monday.

The meeting was attended by Provincial Minister for Local Government Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, Minister for Labour Saeed Ghani, Adviser to CM Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, P&D Chairperson Nahid Shah, Water Board MD Asadullah Khan and other concerned officers.

Competitive and Liveable City of Karachi (CLICK) is Rs33.6 billion ($240 million) worth WB-assisted project in which Sindh government is committed to share $10 million.

The project is aimed at training the provincial capital’s local councils and agencies in urban management, financing and service delivery programmes.

The proposed project will support four major components to be executed under the supervision of local government, Excise & Taxation and Sindh Investment departments.

Under the project, local councils would be given performance-based grants; urban property tax system will be improved, and technical assistance would be provided to Sindh Solid Waste Management (SSWM).

The chief minister told the WB delegation that the project had been approved by CDWP and Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), and now WB’s nod was awaited. The WB director said that he would issue its clearance letter within a month.

Karachi Water and Sewerage Services Improvement Project (KWSSIP) Phase-I is Rs14.72 billion worth project in which the WB would give 40 percent or $42.084 million in assistance while Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) would contribute 40 percent or $42.084 million in the form of a soft loan, while the provincial government would bear Rs2.945 billion or 20 percent of the total cost of the project.

The project, to be completed in five years, is aimed at introducing reforms in Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) in order to improve services and reduce the trust deficit between the citizens and the organisation; making long-term investment in city’s infrastructure to deliver improved services, and funding key preparatory studies and project management.

The project, part of a multi-phased programme, will cost $1.6 billion, and will be implemented in four phases in 12 years. P&D Chairperson Nahid Shah told the meeting that the project had been approved by ECNEC on August 29, 2019.

Sindh CM also discussed Sindh Human Capital Investment project with the WB country chief.  The chief minister said that he had proposed some reforms in order to improve education standards. Work on these projects is in progress and the chief minister urged the WB to reallocate Flood Shelter funds for the rehabilitation of flood-affected people.