Karachi is the most cosmopolitan city of Pakistan where livability and competitiveness have deteriorated in recent years. In order to address these constraints by selectively tackling critical bottlenecks and to enhance the quality of life in the port city, the Sindh government has planned a five-year project titled “Competitive and Livable City of Karachi” (CLICK). The project is to be financed by the World Bank that will loan Rs61,116.815 million under Investment Project Financing (IPF), while the provincial government will share Rs2, 833.559 million. In an interview with WealthPK, Manzoor Ali Sheikh, Additional Chief Secretary for Local Government Housing & Town Planning, said the purpose of CLICK project is to provide an organized system where the local councils exercise their power and responsibilities to work together for peace, order and good governance in their municipal districts and this’s what they were working for.

He said the objective of the project is to improve urban management, service delivery, and business environment. The project has four components. The first one, Performance-based Grants to Local Councils and Capacity Building, aims to finance the provision of performance-based grants (PBGs) to Karachi local councils (LCs) that meet certain institutional criteria, to boost their management skills and city competitiveness. It has the subcomponents: (i) performance-based grants to local councils; and (ii) technical assistance and performance grants implementation and management. The second component, Modernizing Urban Property Tax Administration and System, aims to support urban immovable property tax (UIPT) reforms in Karachi, such as gradually transferring UIPT collection to LCs in the future. The provincial government has developed a roadmap to improve UIPT and devolve it to the local council for better efficiency, transparency and incentives.

The third component, Improvement of City Competitiveness and Business Environment, is focused on improving the business environment of Karachi, which complements the other project activities. It has subcomponents: (i) streamlining and integrating business regulations for city competitiveness; and (ii) establishment of PPP node at the local government department (LGD). The fourth component, Technical Assistance (TA) for Solid Waste Management, helps LGD and Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) improve solid waste management (SWM) in Karachi and the performance of SSWMB, by solving critical challenges and developing a long-term strategy for sector growth and investment..

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)