KARACHI: City Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab celebrated the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation`s (KMC) `financial turnaround` at a press conference on Friday, revealing a `remarkable` 300 per cent increase in its revenue during his tenure.

He attributed this growth to decisive leadership and a commitment to long-term planning under the Pakistan People`s Party (PPP).

He also outlined the ongoing development projects and future plans to improve the city`s infrastructure and living conditions.

Barrister Wahab emphasised that despite the challenges of reforming systems, the positive outcomes of the difficult decisions made over the past year and a half were now visible to the people of Karachi. He said the KMC was currently managing 751 development schemes, with 430 set to be completed by June 30 and 348 more by 2026.

He highlighted that over 1,000 schemes would be finished in the next 18 months, marking a significant boost in the city`s development efforts.

A key point of his presser was the KMC`s revenue growth. TheKMC`s income has surged from Rs870 million in 2019 to Rs2.3 billion in just seven months, according to Barrister Wahab, out of which, Rs2.14 billion has already been deposited into the corporation`s account.

`Financial stability and timely decisions are crucial for the KMC`s success, and we remain committed to furthering the development and welfare of Karachi`s residents,` he added.

The mayor made a pointed reference to his predecessor`s complaints of resource shortages, contrasting them with the current administration`s financial success.

He said the PPP-led leadership had focused on improving Karachi`s slums by developing infrastructure without burdening residents financially.

`A Rs100 million Endowment Fund has been set up to support these efforts. We also look for collaboration with the federal and provincial governments to address environmental challenges and further develop slum areas,` he added.

The mayor highlighted the KMC`s commitment to addressing employees` issues, noting that retirement dues up until June 2017 had been cleared, and Rs570 million earned through investmentswould go towards settling dues for those retired up to June 2018.

He also mentioned the ongoing work to resolve employment disputes within the City Council and ensuredfairnessin the past hiring practices. On environmental issues, Mayor Wahab spoke about efforts to improve water supply and sewage management.

`The KMC is working on increasing water availability through new canals from the Hub Dam, which will boost water supply after 20 years. Additionally, the KMC`s sewage treatment plant processes 54 million gallons of sewage daily before releasing it into the sea,` he added.

To enhance operational transparency, he said the KMC introduced the Systematic Administrative Process (SAP) in October 2023, making Karachi the first municipality in Pakistan to implement that system. The SAP has already identified issues such as employees receiving double salaries.

The mayor also addressed the ongoing issues such as the fight against polio, `KMC`s commitment`tocommercialareaimprovements in places like Kemari and Empress Market, and the law enforcement measures to regulate dumping truck operations.