Karachi: Citizens suffer as almost every uplift project in Karachi faces three particular characteristics: inordinate delays, cost overrun and poor work quality, said Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Altaf Shakoor here on Sunday.
Altaf Shakoor said Karachi, the country's economic engine, has become a graveyard of unfinished promises. For years, governments have announced ambitious uplift and infrastructure projects with fanfare, only for them to sink into delays, rising costs, and substandard execution. "What was meant to transform the megacity has instead exposed a deep-rooted crisis of governance."
He said the most visible examples are the Green Line Bus Rapid Transit and Red Line Bus Rapid Transit. Promised as solutions to Karachi's collapsing transport system, they have delivered more disruption than relief. The Green Line took years longer than scheduled, and even after completion, questions remain about planning gaps and operational quality. The Red Line is still under construction, but already reflects the same pattern-cost escalations, shifting deadlines, and prolonged disruption of daily life.
The story is similar for the Karachi Circular Railway, he said. Once a functioning system, it has been repeatedly announced, revived, and re-announced, yet remains largely unrealized. It stands as a symbol of institutional fragmentation and the inability to convert policy announcements into working infrastructure.
He reminded that the Lyari Expressway was also completed years behind its schedule.
He said water infrastructure tells an equally troubling story. The K-IV Water Supply Project, designed to address Karachi's chronic water shortage, has suffered repeated delays, redesigns, and cost revisions. "Despite its strategic importance, progress remains painfully slow. Meanwhile, millions continue to depend on expensive tankers and an unreliable supply system-an everyday reminder of state failure."
Altaf Shakoor said governance-oriented initiatives have not fared better. The Safe City Project Karachi, intended to improve law enforcement through modern surveillance, has also struggled with delays and limited effectiveness. "Instead of becoming a tool for urban security, it has turned into another example of stalled modernization."
He regretted that these failures were not isolated or accidental. They reflect a systemic breakdown. Corruption inflates project costs and distorts priorities. Weak governance allows poor oversight. Nepotism in contracting and appointments sidelines merit, replacing competence with connections. As a result, planning is weak, execution is inconsistent, and accountability is almost absent.
He said multiple agencies operate in silos, often overlapping in function but lacking coordination. Responsibility is routinely shifted rather than owned. Contractors face little consequence for delays or poor workmanship, while monitoring mechanisms remain ineffective. "The outcome is predictable: projects that are announced with urgency but delivered with delay, excess cost, and compromised quality."
Altaf Shakoor said Karachi does not suffer from lack of vision or funding. Large-scale projects are conceived regularly, often with strong political backing. The failure lies in execution-in a system that rewards announcements over delivery and visibility over performance. Without addressing this gap, every new project risks repeating the failures of the last.
He said international comparisons highlight what is possible when systems function properly. The metro expansion in Delhi is often cited for its relatively disciplined execution and adherence to timelines, despite operating at massive scale. Infrastructure development in Istanbul demonstrates how coordinated planning and professional management can deliver complex urban projects. Even closer to the region, Dubai has built a reputation for rapid, efficient completion of large infrastructure initiatives through strict oversight and centralized accountability.
"The contrast is not about resources-it is about governance discipline."
He said for Karachi, this contrast is painful but instructive. The megacity's problem is not ambition, but a governance system that consistently fails to translate ambition into outcomes. "Roads are dug up and left unfinished. Costs escalate without explanation. Infrastructure deteriorates soon after completion. Public trust erodes with each cycle of promises."
He said for a city of Karachi's scale, this is no longer inefficiency-it is failure. Fixing it requires structural, not cosmetic, reform. Procurement must be fully transparent, with open and competitive bidding enforced as a rule. Independent third-party audits should be mandatory at every stage of major projects. Contractors and officials responsible for delays, inflated costs, and substandard work must face real penalties, including blacklisting and legal action. All project timelines, budgets, and progress reports should be made publicly accessible to ensure scrutiny.
He said above all, political interference and nepotism must be eliminated, and professional, merit-based project management must replace the current ad hoc system.
Until then, Karachi's development story will remain what it has largely become: expensive on paper, slow in execution, and disappointing in reality.
He requested Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto to take a personal notice of the situation and do the needful.