The writer is an architect.
KARACHI’S annual GDP is $164 billion. This huge economy, its infrastructure, and relationships are heavily dependent on institutions and facilities that function from encroachments.
Cargo handling and storage; warehousing; wholesale markets; inter- and intra-city bus terminals; workshops and depots; spillover of bazaars and mandis; and the city’s huge street economy are all on encroached land, and there are many markets and government buildings on nullahs and elite societies, like the DHA and the KPT Officers Housing Society, that encroach on the drainage outlets to the sea. Health and education facilities are located on residential plots and so are eating and entertainment facilities of the rich, middle-class, and the poor. There are also residential and commercial buildings built on amenity plots, fully or partly, such as the Icon Tower, which have been purchased by the rich and middle-class families who had little or no knowledge of their illegali
A view of the Bahria Icon Tower in Karachi. Fahim Siddiqi / White Star
A security guard was injured in a grenade attack outside the Bahria Icon Tower in Karachi s Clifton area on Wednesday afternoon, police said.
South SSP Zubair Nazeer Shaikh said that two suspects riding a motorcycle lobbed a hand grenade at Icon Tower near Bin Qasim Park in Clifton. As a result, a security guard, 35-year-old Muneer Nazeer, was injured. Police called the bomb disposal squad to the scene who confirmed that it was a hand grenade, not a cracker as initially reported. The guard suffered minor injuries, Shaikh added.
Syracuse’s SpinCar acquires artificial intelligence firm
Updated May 13, 2021;
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Syracuse, N.Y. SpinCar, the Syracuse startup whose software allows auto dealers around the world to display 360-degree images of their cars online, has completed its first acquisition.
SpinCar said it has acquired Pulsar AI, a company in the country of Georgia that has created a conversational artificial intelligence platform for the auto industry.
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Pulsar’s software will be incorporated into SpinCar’s, and its 30 employees will become SpinCar employees, the companies said.
“The acquisition of Pulsar, along with future acquisitions of innovative technology companies in the auto space, represents a key component of our growth strategy,” said Michael Quigley, SpinCar co-founder and chief strategy officer.
How urban planning can help Karachi tackle a growing heat crisis
Pakistani residents cool off during an hot summer day in Karachi. PHOTO: AFP
How urban planning can help Karachi tackle a growing heat crisis
Karachi is what experts call an urban heat island, a city that is warmer than its surrounding suburban and rural areas
Last Friday, the mercury climbed to nearly 40 degrees Celsius in Karachi. The Pakistan Meteorological Department had issued an advisory earlier in the week warning temperatures would rise after March 30, 2021. It’s hard to take a warning like that without a sense of impending dread. After all, it was only six years ago when a near apocalyptic heatwave claimed over 1,200 lives in the city. In the time since then officials have acted proactively to address future hot weather, with the Government of Sindh issuing a technical report in 2017 replete with actionable recommendations. But the question remains whether measures identified since then address the root
04 Mar 2021 - 8:09
A file photo of officials during a sales launching press conference.
The Peninsula
Doha: On the occasion of its third year anniversary, Qetaifan Projects, the company fully owned by Katara Hospitality and the exclusive real estate developer of Qetaifan Island North, said it succeeded in adapting to difficulties and transforming challenges into opportunities during the year 2020.
It also marks the second year anniversary of the start of construction on site, that has been witnessing a rapid development and progress ever since.
The development of Qetaifan Island North did not witness any deviation from the set schedule or any noticeable delays from the specified work plan, it noted.