The Sindh Government has announced its intentions of making Karachi the first Smart City of Pakistan with plans of introducing free WiFi, solar streetlights, and CCTV cameras for a more innovative future. In this regard, the local Sindh Government & the Information Minister Sharjeel Memon have signed a MoU.
According to an official statement, three Chinese companies have shown interest to install smart technology in Karachi to complete the first phase in 2015. The Sindh Information Minister Shrajeel Inaam Memon revealed that the installation of Free WiFi, solar street lights, and CCTV camera will begin from Do-Talwar Clifton to Shara-e-Faisal with plans of city wide expansion. The total cost for the first phase of the project will take US $ 20 million out of the accumulated $200 million.
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There are several meetings conducted among various potential investors spanning Dubai, China, and USA. The US-based company also playing a role in the development of CCTV and WiFi installation. The CCTV cameras will do round the clock recording and the free WiFi will track all activities of the users. This is to ensure that the services are not used for any criminal activity. Moreover, law enforcement agencies will monitor the connections and take prompt actions on any threats.
The Minister added that the work on solar energy will be acted on after the conclusion of this project. The use of solar energy would help alleviate the existing energy crisis plaguing the city. The severe power outages in the city combined with the scorching heat in the time of Ramazan took a large number of lives. In addition to solar energy, Karachi might be using cloud seeding technology to generate artificial rains to lessen the heat intensity in the city.
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While referring to the current state of crime in Karachi, the Minister added that the citizens will be better protected with the free WiFi and CCTV to help better protect citizens. The rangers and local law enforcement agencies will use the new technologies to be more involved in making Karachi a safer city.
The Minister commented on the new technology, “The free Wi-Fi and CCTV camera will be installed on every street. Police and law enforcement agencies can also benefit from this modern CCTV system to track the criminals.”
