Karachi: The Sindh government has launched a large-scale property survey across all seven districts of Karachi in a bid to expand the city’s tax base and improve revenue generation for local bodies.
The project is part of the World Bank-supported ‘Click’ initiative and carries an estimated cost of USD 20 million. It aims to comprehensively document residential, commercial, and vacant plots in the metropolis. Officials expect the survey to be completed within a year.
The last property record, compiled in 2001, showed approximately 900,000 registered properties in Karachi. However, authorities now estimate the actual figure has grown to over 3.3 million. The new survey is expected to help bridge this gap and provide a more accurate and updated property database.
According to officials, the primary objective is to strengthen municipal institutions by improving tax collection efficiency and enabling better urban planning. The updated records will also assist in future infrastructure planning and public service delivery.
Despite its potential benefits, the initiative has faced criticism from the opposition. Sindh Assembly Opposition Leader Ali Khurshidi questioned why the survey is limited to Karachi and not being conducted across other cities in the province.
In response, the provincial government maintains that the initiative will serve as a pilot project and could later be expanded, adding that Karachi’s sheer size and economic significance make it a logical starting point for property documentation reforms.
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