Karachi: Sindh governor Mohammad Zubair on Tuesday outlined the spread of the 25 billion rupees (Dh871 million) financial package for Karachi that was committed by the federal government.

The foundation of a major public hospital and medical university is to be laid using funds from the financial package.

The institution in Karachi is expected to help cater to growing demand for health facilities and education in the financial hub.

In a press conference the governor said much of the package much would be allocated for the infrastructure projects in this mega city, which has been deprived of required funds resources for past 10 to 15 years.

He further said the money would also be spent on the upgrade of industrial zones so that the foreign as well as local investors could be encouraged to bring in more capital in the city.

Zubair said road infrastructure, flyovers, underpasses would also be refurbished besdies improving the fire ighting facilities in the city, which had been below the requirement of such a huge city.

“We cannot change the whole city with such a meagre financial package but we are committed to improve the present infrastructure to give respite to the people of Karachi,” he said.

The federal government had announced the financial package after its negotiation with the MQM ahead of the prime ministerial elections, followed by the ouster of Nawaz Sharif over his disqualification by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

The MQM hepled the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (N) in electing Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as the successor of Sharif.

The governor said that the MQM was elected by the people of Karachi and it was the mayoral mandate to raise funds for the city development.

Zubair recalled that the federal government had already committed over a 50 billion rupees infrastructure projects in Karachi. He said that Islamabad had committed 24 billion rupees for the Green Line bus service project. Besides, he said Islamabad also funded 50 percent cost of the K-4 water project that amounted to 12 billion rupees. Almost the similar amount was also provided to the provincial government for completing the construction of Lyari Expressway, he said.

Zubair also announced a package for Hyderabad, another stronghold of MQM, that envisaged setting up Hyderabad University for Business and Technology. A metro bus project would also be launched in Hyderabad, he said and added the project could be taken up in next tenure of the government.