KARACHI:Administrator Karachi Laiq Ahmed has said that Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) Printing Press will be upgraded by adding new machines to meet the modern printing requirements.
Despite insufficient resources, the printing press of Karachi Municipality including other annual printing presses are providing best services. In order to make KMC Press profitable, it will be considered to start printing for other public and private institutions here, he said on Monday. Speaking on the occasion of the visit of the press, Senior Director Coordination Khalid Khan, Senior Director CSR Saif Abbas, Senior Director Media Management Ali Hassan Sajid and other officers were also present on the occasion.
He inspected the printing work of the budget and appreciated the hard work and dedication of the employees. He listened carefully to the problems of the printing press and assured that all the legitimate issues would be resolved. Senior Director Information and Printing said Ali Hassan Sajid briefed him, Sajid said that KMC Printing Press is in Pakistan It is also the only printing press operating under a municipal corporation where machines from 1928 to 1967 are still in operation.
The KMC Press was established in a bakery on Nishtar Road in 1957. The department was reconstituted in 1958. Its purpose was to manage the printing of annual budget including documents used in various departments of Karachi Municipality. Since the establishment of the press, KMC has saved more than Rs 200,000 annually in expenses. With the passage of time, various types of printing machines were added here so that the printing work could continue without any interruption, for which a 65 kW electric generator was also installed here in 2012 without any interruption, he said.
He said it has become possible to continue the printing work, but for the printing of documents in accordance with the requirements of modern times, it is necessary to install modern machines here and use them by trained staff to improve the quality of documents printed from the Karachi Metropolitan Municipality.
Giving details of various stages of printing of annual budget, he said that there is constant work in different areas of the press where different machines are being used, besides manual work including scan making and every effort is made to maintain high quality of printing, he said.
KMC’s budget for the next financial year 2021-22 is in the final stages of printing. It is expected that after the completion of printing, it will be presented for approval today, (Tuesday), said Administrator Karachi Laiq Ahmed.
Preserve the ancient machines of MC Printing Press as it is a historical heritage, the world of printing has now become very advanced and the use of electronic and digital devices has become very common in this field through which new experiments are being conducted in all over the world.
The results have been outstanding, the way the printing industry has developed over the last decade has given it the status of a lucrative industry and today almost every walk of life needs it and the printing business has grown so much that more investment and attention is needed in this field, he said.
He said that this press owned by KMC can also be used as a source of revenue, so the printing arrangements for public and private institutions should also be reviewed so that the printing press can meet its financial needs as well. Revenue will also be available to the company, he said, adding that the staff of KMC Press should work hard in the same way so that this department proves to be beneficial for the company and further develops in the future.