KARACHI, March 12: While the volume of traffic in this cosmopolitan city is increasing day-by-day, the city government has not yet chalked out a plan for extension/widening of Sharea Faisal connecting the city centre with the Jinnah International Airport.
Town-planning experts say the prime land along the Sharea Faisal which is still available might fall victim to encroachers if the city father does not immediately chalk out a plan for the remodelling/extension of Sharea Faisal, named after the late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia.
The Sharea Faisal/National Highway has the option of service lanes on both sides right from Metropole Hotel up to Pakistan Steel, but what is needed is an ambitious plan which can save motorists and commuters from unnecessary trouble at a time when there are frequent traffic jams.
At the time of a previous extension of Sharea Faisal, formerly Drig Road, the KDA had provided service lanes on both sides of the road from the city centre up to Karsaz, but as the agency fell short of money it abandoned its plan for service lanes.
Inquiries have revealed that the land along this major city artery, connecting it with the Pakistan’s biggest steel mills and the second major port Mohammad Bin Qasim, is either in the possession of the land department of the armed forces, ie, the Pakistan Air Force, Pakistan Navy, the Pakistan Army, or has been allotted to builders or individuals who have been raising multi-story plazas without considering the future extension of Sharea Faisal in the next 10 years when the city roads will have become saturated and the traffic increased manifolds.
Experts believe that if efforts are made to make it an expressway, and if service lanes are provided and properly utilized, it can result in time-saving and there will be no delays due to traffic snags. Moreover, land will immediately be available for further extension of Sharea Faisal.
Inquiries reveal that the service lanes which are still available from the city centre up to Karsaz are not being properly utilized because of the failure of the traffic police to enforce rules, and a majority of the footpaths and service lanes right from Nursery to Karsaz are being utilized by workshops, or have partly been converted into parking lots by shopkeepers or the staff/contractors of the city government.
The experts believe if the prime land along Sharea Faisal meant for future extension of the road is not resumed by the city government, there might be plazas and other structures in the years to come, and there will be no land available for the extension of Sharea Faisal.
Although plans were made in the past for the beautification of Sharea Faisal, no suggestions were incorporated regarding its extension and widening.
KARACHI, March 12: While the volume of traffic in this cosmopolitan city is increasing day-by-day, the city government has not yet chalked out a plan for extension/widening of Sharea Faisal connecting the city centre with the Jinnah International Airport.
