KARACHI, Dec 13: The Sindh Minister for Transport, Muhammad Adil Siddiqui, on Tuesday said that steps were being taken to introduce a new transport system in Karachi; however, its implementation would be possible only after the construction of the Mass Transit Plan and Lyari Expressway.

The minister, in a statement, said that after construction of the Lyari Expressway and at least one corridor out of the proposed six corridors of the Mass Transit Plan, the city would witness basic changes in the transport and communication infrastructure.

By then, the reactivation of the Karachi Circular Railways (KCR) would also be completed, he said.

He said presently the first phase of work on the KCR had been completed while work on the second phase was in progress. He hoped that after the second phase’s completion, the KCR’s reach would be extended to Nazimabad and Geelani railway stations.

The transport minister said the Lyari Expressway and Northern Bypass projects would be completed by Dec 2006 and June 2006 respectively.

He said work on the Rashid Minhas Road-Shahrah-i-Pakistan intersection at Sohrab Goth was in full swing, adding that traffic flow in the area would be improved after its completion.

The minister said that CNG-run transport was being encouraged due to the rising prices of petrol and increasing environmental pollution.

He lauded the keen interest taken by President Musharraf in the uplift projects of Karachi.—PPI