Karachi, December 11, 2022 (PPI-OT): Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has decided to build a new council hall with 500 seating capacity for the members in Karachi and four different places have been chosen to build it. The Engineering Department has been directed to immediately survey these sites and submit the final report and prepare the beautiful design of the council hall along with detailed maps so that the construction can be started immediately. This was decided in a meeting chaired by Administrator Karachi Dr. Syed Saifur Rahman with the officers in his office on Sunday.
Municipal Commissioner Syed Shujaat Hussain and other relevant officers were also present on this occasion. The Administrator Karachi said that the new council hall with 500 seats along with offices of mayor, deputy mayor, municipal commissioner, chairman of various committees, media and council will be built. Media gallery, cafeteria, parking area, modern sound system, internet, direct coverage facilities for TV channels from council hall will also be provided. The council hall will be centrally air-conditioned.
The sites selected for the council hall include the Aladin Park, the site behind the Safari Park, the USSR Academy on the Super Highway and a site at Clifton. Dr Saifur Rehman said that the council hall located in the KMC building currently has a seating capacity of 310 members, but as a result of the municipal elections, the council that will come into existence will have 367 members, which in any case cannot sit in the council hall. He said that due to its location in the Old City, the council members face difficulties in reaching the KMC building and there is a traffic jam around it. While the vehicles of the council members and officers are parked in the building.
There is also less space, in previous meetings many members could not reach the meeting due to traffic jam He said that in view of the future needs of the KMC, the new council hall will also have the capacity to add more seats. The Administrator Karachi said that funds will be allocated for the construction of a new council hall in the budget of the next financial year and the government of Sindh will also be requested to provide special funds in this regard. He said that no walls of any kind shall be erected around the building and the citizens will also be able to use the cafeterias.
He directed the engineering department to prepare the design of the building worthy of the council hall which is not only attractive but also a symbol of Karachi. Dr Saifur Rehman said that he will also take the Governor Sindh and the Chief Minister of Sindh into confidence in this regard so that better decisions can be taken with their consultation. The City Council Hall is located in the historic building of KMC where important decisions are made regarding the construction and development of the city of Karachi. When the ‘Baldia’ was given the status of a municipal corporation in 1933, the number of seats was 57 and there was enough capacity in the hall.
In 1953, the municipal seats were increased to 100. In 1960, the number of seats was reduced to 58. In 1966, the number of seats was again increased to 103. In 1979, under the changed local government system, the number of local government seats in Karachi increased to 166, for which there was adequate capacity in the hall. In 1983, when the number of seats increased, this hall was modified for 232 seats. In 1987, when the two-tier system was implemented in Karachi, there were 77 seats in the hall of the KMC.
In 2001, the new municipal district system came into force, the number of council members increased to 255, for which there was not enough room in the hall, so in December 2004, the city council hall was renovated and the capacity was increased. In August 2016, the construction and renovation of the City Council Hall was also done. On October 8, 2022, the renovation of the City Council Hall was once again completed.
For more information, contact:
Administrator Secretariat
Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC)
City District Government Complex, 1st Floor, Civic Centre,
Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi
Tel: +92-21-99232400-01
Fax: +92-21-99232406
Email: administrator@karachicity.gov.pk