NADRA services in Karachi are getting a major upgrade! Mayor Murtaza Wahab announces new counters in all union councils and mega centres to improve public access.
Karachi - In a major and highly anticipated move aimed at significantly improving public access to essential government registration services, Karachi's Mayor, Murtaza Wahab, has officially announced that the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) will soon establish dedicated service counters at all union councils across the city. This landmark initiative is a core component of a broader, multi-pronged strategy to comprehensively upgrade and expand NADRA's physical and digital infrastructure. The overarching goal is to better serve the millions of residents in the sprawling and populous metropolis of Karachi, making critical services more convenient and less time-consuming for the average citizen.
The significant announcement was made during the official inauguration ceremony of the newly upgraded and modernized NADRA registration centre located at Babar Market in Landhi. This event itself marked a tangible and visible step in the ongoing, concerted efforts to modernize the authority's public-facing facilities. During his address, Mayor Wahab also revealed that a detailed feasibility study will begin immediately for the establishment of a brand-new, full-service NADRA centre at the well-known Kakri Ground in Lyari. This is a particularly noteworthy development, as Lyari is a densely populated and historic area of the city that will greatly benefit from having its own local, easily accessible office.
Further bolstering its capacity to serve the public, NADRA is also in the advanced stages of constructing new, state-of-the-art mega centres in several key, high-population locations across Karachi. These large-scale facilities, which are currently being built in populous areas such as Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulberg, and Surjani Town, are specifically designed to handle much larger volumes of applicants. This is expected to significantly reduce the long waiting times and chronic congestion that have often been a point of public frustration at many existing NADRA branches throughout the city.
The newly upgraded facility in Landhi, which was the site of the Mayor's announcement, serves as a clear and promising model for the planned improvements that are set to be rolled out city-wide. The centre's operational capacity has been significantly enhanced. Most notably, the number of single-window service counters has been increased from the previous four to a more efficient seven. This expansion is designed to directly accelerate the application, biometric, and registration processes for citizens seeking new ID cards, renewals, or other modifications.
In addition to the increase in service counters, the entire Landhi facility has been physically expanded and can now comfortably accommodate up to 120 people at any given time in its waiting area. This addresses another common complaint of overcrowding and lack of adequate seating space at older NADRA offices.
Crucially, the refurbished Landhi centre has been meticulously equipped with modern and essential amenities to ensure greater convenience, dignity, and accessibility for all citizens who visit. These vital improvements include the provision of separate, clean, and well-maintained toilets for both men and women. Furthermore, the facility now features dedicated wheelchair access ramps and accessible interiors, a critical step to better cater to persons with disabilities and the elderly. The provision of clean drinking water facilities has also been ensured. This renewed focus on citizen comfort and accessibility is a key and welcome aspect of the comprehensive upgrade plan.
Speaking to the media at the inauguration event, the Director-General of NADRA for the Sindh region, Amir Ali Khan, provided further details on the impressive scope of this modernization project. He stated that five NADRA centres in Karachi have already been fully refurbished and are now operating with the new, higher standards. He further elaborated that there are concrete and funded plans to upgrade a total of 21 centres across the city in the near future. This systematic act of upgrading facilities is aimed at standardizing the quality of service, infrastructure, and citizen experience throughout Karachi's vast network of NADRA offices.
Director-General Khan also took the opportunity to address some of the initial user challenges and public feedback that have been reported in relation to NADRA's new mobile application. While honestly acknowledging the initial teething issues that some users have faced with the app, he stressed that once it is fully functional and optimized, it will deliver significant and lasting long-term improvements to service delivery. He envisioned a future where many citizens will be able to access a wide range of NADRA services remotely from their smartphones, eliminating the need to physically visit a registration centre for many common procedures.
The powerful combination of these parallel initiatives—establishing highly localized service counters at the neighborhood union council level, systematically upgrading all existing facilities with more counters and better amenities, and building new, high-capacity mega centres in strategic locations—is set to fundamentally transform the citizen experience with NADRA in Karachi. This comprehensive and forward-looking plan promises to deliver faster, more accessible, and far more convenient registration services for every resident of this vibrant and dynamic city.