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KARACHI, Jan 7: The City Nazim, Niamatullah Khan, has issued directives that pipes manufactured in city government's pipe factory be used in city government projects, citing the measure as the objective behind reopening of the closed pipe factory.
On a visit to the pipe factory of the defunct KDA on Friday, the nazim, along with various town nazims and town municipal officers, stressed upon the concerned, especially the Water Board, to play their role in making the factory's plants functional.
Mr Niamat said that outstanding quality of pipes be manufactured, production increased, and an effective system be adopted for quality control. He also said that preference be given to purchasing of pipes from the factory for water and sewerage projects, while instructing that kerbstones, to be used in road construction, also be produced in the factory, which had a capacity-production of 1,000 blocks daily.
Other directions issued by the nazim to concerned authorities included examination of kerbstone- production at a lower cost, strong manhole covers, and chalking out of a three-shift plan to ensure increased production at he factory.
While calling for a strategy to acquire maximum orders for the factory from the market and towns, he observed that it would surely make a price difference, if towns purchased blocks from the factory instead of the market.
He said that a plan be prepared to supply the factory's products to other organizations as well besides the city government. The Project Manager of the pipe factory, Muhammad Arif Shirwani, in his briefing to the city nazim said the factory had nine plants with a capability of manufacturing pipes from 12 to 84 inches-dia.
Pipes of a larger diameter were being manufactured at the moment, he informed, adding that some 3,000 manhole covers produced in the factory had been provided to various towns.
Regarding work at the factory, the project manager said that, at present, the factory was being run on one shift only. The nazim also said that 'neem' trees be planted along the factory's boundary walls to reduce pollution and beautify the environment.
The said defunct KDA Pipe Factory was setup in 1954. Pipes manufactured by it were used by the KDA in laying water and sewerage pipelines. The factory faced a shutdown in 1999, and a proposal was floated to use its land for residential plots and other purposes; however, the City Nazim, Niamatullah Khan set up a committee of technical advisers and other officials to examine matters related to the factory.
It (the pipe factory) was then restarted in April 2002 with the production of RCC and pre-stressed pipes. Managing Director, Water Board Brig Iftekhar, EDO Works Shoaib Siddiqi, Technical Adviser to City Nazim Engr Saleem Azhar, Nazim Gulshan Town Abdul Wahab, Nazim Shah Faisal Town Mushtaq Ahmed etc accompanied Niamat.
WORK REVIEWED: A high-level meeting chaired by the City Nazim, Niamatullah Khan, on Friday reviewed the pace of work on various under-construction roads in the of city.
The EDO Works and Services, Shoaib Ahmed Siddqui, contractor and officials of the traffic police and other departments attended the meeting. The city nazim directed that traffic flow be maintained at the sites of construction, and that the general public be informed about alternate routes to save them from difficulties.
He further directed that a traffic action plan be devised for unhindered traffic flow on Gharibabad intersection, Liaquatabad, before construction was started on the first underpass of Karachi there.
Prior to initiating work on the underpass, alternate routes be provided for traffic with the cooperation of the traffic police. The EDO Works told the meeting that under-construction roads had not been closed completely for traffic but a portion of these roads had been specified as an alternate route for traffic.
He said the traffic police was extending its cooperation at the construction sites for traffic flow, and great efforts were made to avoid traffic jams there. Similarly, he said that a single track had been provided to vehicles at the under-construction road from Shahrah-i-Quaideen to Sharea Faisal, denying reports that it had been closed for traffic.
The meeting was also told that the public had been informed through advertisements about the construction work and alternate routes on the road from the Lasbella Bridge to Nazimabad No 1.
Mr Niamat directed that work on the said roads be carried out round the clock and be completed before the scheduled time to save people from inconvenience. -APP/PPI
