Administrator Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab on Friday said they wanted to restore Karachi of 1960’s to 1980’s.
“The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) is introducing a new approach in which the participation of citizens is essential for the development of the city. The Fish Aquarium, located in Clifton, has fond childhood memories. The aquarium was closed 25 years ago. With the help of CLICK, this aquarium will be restored and opened to the public in the next six months at a cost of Rs 800 million,” the administrator expressed these views while addressing a groundbreaking ceremony for the restoration of Fish Aquarium at Bagh Ibn Qasim Clifton here.
Also present on the occasion were Deputy Commissioner South Irshad Sodhar, Metropolitan Commissioner Syed Afzal Zaidi, Director General Parks Junaidullah Khan, Senior Director Recreation Mansoor Qazi, Senior Director Municipal Services Mazhar Khan and other officers.
The Administrator Karachi said Fish Aquarium was part of 130 acres of Bagh Ibn Qasim. Those who came here in their childhood still remember the tour of the fish house, but with the passage of time, where other things in the city deteriorated, this aquarium could not survive and the citizens lost this facility. He said the present administration had taken immediate steps to take notice of this and now that the procurement process had been completed.
“The Fish Aquarium will provide an opportunity for students and researchers to get a closer look at marine life and provide another excellent recreational and informational facility to the citizens near the beach,” Barrister Murtaza Wahab said. He said public places in all parts of the city including Bagh Ibn Qasim were being restored and opened to the public.
He said KMC and DMCs were working on these projects, adding, tree planting would be done to make Bagh Ibn Qasim more green. There would also be new standard restaurants and washrooms for citizens, he added.
He said Kidney Hill Park was another example of the city’s improvement work. He said if civil society and the common man were with them, they would be able to do these things in a much better way. “We hope that the private sector will support us for the betterment of the city, the province and the country. I have always said that this is my city, my province and my country, so I try to improve as much as possible in every field, whether it is related to KMC or KDA,” he said.
Earlier addressing the function, Metropolitan Commissioner Karachi Syed Afzal Zaidi said Bagh Ibn Qasim Fish Aquarium Project is important for Karachi.
He said the city should have a number of such aquariums for the general public to learn about marine life.
“We are trying to reopen all the public places in the city, we will do everything with the help of civil society,” he added.
Deputy Commissioner South Irshad Sodhar said the fish aquarium project would be a beautiful gift of the government to the citizens of Karachi. He said efforts of Sindh government to improve public places in Karachi were proving successful.
