KARACHI: CM briefed on bypass, expressway projects: Progress reviewed
KARACHI, Nov 11: Sindh Chief Minister Ali Mohammed Mahar on Tuesday went on a detailed visit of the Northern Bypass and Lyari Expressway projects and reviewed the pace of work there.
Before the start of the visit, the chief minister was given a detailed briefing at the starting junction of Mauripur Road.
Project Director Lyari Expressway, Mohammed Yusuf Barakzai, told the CM that the Frontier Works Organization was carrying out the project on behalf of the National Highway.
He said the Expressway would have four interchanges, 16 overpasses, four bridges and toll plazas at four points.
Briefing the chief minister, Project Director Lyari Expressway Rehabilitation Project, Shafiqur Rehman Paracha, said that rehabilitation of the project shiftees was a difficult task as 150,000, to clear an area of about 33 kilometres, were being shifted to new housing colonies.
He said the project had displaced 15,000 families and for the first time in the history of Pakistan, such a large number was being rehabilitated at other places.
He said 56 mosques, six Imambargahs and many temples in the project alignment were being removed, which would incur an expenditure of Rs2.9 billion to be given to the shifted families, Rs50,000 each, to help construct their houses on plots of 80 sq yard allotted to them free of charge.
He further said that facilities being provided in the new colonies included water, roads, gas, electricity, medical facilities and playgrounds and some 5000 houses were being constructed in the Hawksbay scheme, and 4000 and 6000 in Baldia Town and Taiser Town schemes respectively
Project Director Northern Bypass, Tufail Shaikh, said that work on the 56.6-Km-long bypass started on April 27, 2002 and would be completed by Oct 24, 2004, at a cost of Rs2,928 million.
He said the project would have four flyovers at Gul Bai, Shershah, SUPARCO and PNAD, two interchanges at the RCD Highway and Super Highway, five bridges at Lyari River-I, Lyari River-II, Watch Nullah and Hub Canal, and crossroad overhead bridges at the Mai Gardhi Road crossing, Manghopir, Afghan Basti and Hub Road.
He sought help for removal of encroachments from Shershah Chowk and Mochko Goth and for the cleaning the KWSB nullah. He added that under the project installations of KESC, PTCL, Sui Gas and SITE water supply lines will be removed.
The CM said these mega projects would prove a milestone in solving the problems of Karachi and help provide better traffic system and commuting facilities.
He directed that every effort should be made to complete the projects on time, and the problems being faced should be resolved on priority basis. He said a meeting would be called shortly to sort out the problems.
Also present in the briefing were Nazim Karachi Naimatullah Khan, Naib Nazim Tariq Hasan, DCO Mir Hussain Ali, City Police Chief and officials of the NHA and the FWO. —APP
