As soon as Dr. Saifur Rehman was appointed as the new administrator of Karachi, all the parking sites were made free.

“KMC [Karachi Metropolitan Corporation] will not collect parking fees anymore until the new auctions take place,” Rehman said while chairing a meeting comprising representatives from various departments.

A day earlier, Rehman was appointed as the new administrator of Karachi after the Sindh government picked him as the replacement for Murtaza Wahab, the former administrator of Karachi.

The decision to appoint Rehman is the result of a recent political trade-off between the PPP and the MQM-P when the latter withdrew from Senate by-election in favour of the former’s candidate.

Sources said that the newly appointed administrator, during today’s meeting, ordered to immediately repair 28 major roads in the metropolis.

“From today onward, all the contracts that KMC employees have taken up will end,” the administrator directed.

Rehman said trees should be planted on the green belt between the roads, all pedestrian bridges should be repaired immediately, and the encroachment drive should continue.

The new administrator said that he would pave the way for pedestrians, clean the footpaths and eliminate encroachments from the port city.