Karachi: Pasban Democratic Party Chairman Altaf Shakoor announced a set of demands aimed at addressing the challenges posed by rapidly growing suburban populations around Karachi. Highlighting the strain on the city’s resources due to new settlements outside the metropolitan limits, Shakoor emphasized the necessity for the government to provide better infrastructure and basic services in these areas to alleviate pressure on the old city.

According to Pasban Democratic Party, the party chairman pointed out that the new villages and shantytowns developing at the periphery lack essential services such as electricity, water, and healthcare. These deficiencies force residents to rely on the already overstretched facilities in Karachi, leading to severe overcrowding, particularly in hospitals. Shakoor called for the opening of new hospitals, schools, and colleges in the suburbs, along with the installation of reliable street lighting, paved roads, and proper drainage systems.

He also demanded a thorough clean-up of corruption in local development authorities, including the Karachi Development Authority (KDA), Lyari Development Authority (LDA), and Malir Development Authority (MDA), where he claimed that inefficiencies and malpractices were rife. Shakoor criticized these entities for being staffed predominantly by political appointees from former ruling coalitions who fail to perform their duties effectively. Furthermore, he noted that major housing projects like the LDA’s Hawke’s Bay Scheme 42 have stalled, leaving allottees disheartened and highlighting a broader issue of negligence in the government’s approach to housing for low-income families.

Shakoor’s statement reflects an urgent call for systemic changes to accommodate the needs of Karachi’s expanding population, aiming to reduce the burden on the city’s central facilities and improve the quality of life for its suburban residents.