KARACHI, Feb 5: Work on a dozen of ongoing development projects, mostly related to road construction, has either come to a grinding halt or progressing at a snail’s pace, causing hardships to motorists and inconvenience to pedestrians.
In addition to such projects, a number of major thoroughfares and service roads are lying in a dilapidated condition.
The uplift plans, most of which were initiated under the Tameer-i-Karachi Programme, but work on them is stopped include reconstruction of New M.A. Jinnah Road (from Islamia College to Jail Chowrangi traffic intersection), Rashid Minhas Road (from Aladin Park to Gulshan Chowrangi), Korangi’s 12000 and 8000 Roads, Shah Faisal bridge to link Shah Faisal Colony with Korangi industrial area, I.I. Chundrigar Road’s beautification plan, bridge linking Mai Kolachi with I.I. Chundrigar Road, widening of Business Recorder Road, Gulshan’s Women Complex, widening of road connecting Gulshan-i-Iqbal’s Block 13-D with Gillani Railway Station’s level crossing, Gharibabad Underpass and Hassan Square Flyover, etc.
The roads and service lanes, which had developed craters and deep potholes since long, include PIB Road (from Tin Hatti traffic intersection to PIB Colony’s main entrance), another major road from central prison’s main gate to Jail Chowrangi, Aisha Aziz Road near Khudadad Colony and a major service road of Gulshan-i-Iqbal from Hassan Square to Ashfaq Memorial Hospital.
Sources in the city government attribute the delay in undertaking such works to the city government’s own poor financial position as well as to non-receipts of funds from different stake-holders who had pledged to finance some vital projects under the Tameer-i-Karachi.
Work on New M.A. Jinnah Road (from Islamia College to Jail traffic intersection) had begun about six months back and since then a heavy volume of vehicular traffic either heading towards M.A. Jinnah Road, Gurumandir or towards Civic Centre, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Gulistan Jauhar, Malir Cantonment, has no choice but to take the streets of Kashmir Road and as a result of which traffic usually remain choked on the alternative route throughout the day, in general and during peak hours, in particular.
Sources in the city government claimed that although PIA which was financing the New M.A. Jinnah Road project under Tameer-i-Karachi Programme had earlier promised to provide the partial payment for the project in January, it has not been able to do so on one pretext or the other.
About two months back when DCO Karachi Fazalur Rehman was informed that motorists had been experiencing hardships in the wake of continued closure of the main thoroughfare (New M.A. Jinnah Road), he had told this correspondent that though the PIA would be providing funds for the project in January, the city government with a view to avoid delay in its reconstruction would spend money on the project from its own resources and would adjust the same after getting the promised amount from the PIA. However, work on the project is still abandoned causing inconvenience to a large number of motorists.
Another project which was aimed at linking I.I. Chundrigar Road with Mai Kolachi has not yet taken off nor has the work on much-publicized Gharibabad underpass project started yet.
Work on Hassan Square flyover is progressing at a snail’s pace while work on Shah Faisal Bridge, which was initiated to link Shah Faisal Colony with Korangi industrial area, has been abandoned reportedly owing to its high cost amounting to over one billion rupees. Similarly, work on Sohrab Goth Flyover, which was progressing satisfactorily till recently, has also been stopped owing to financial problems faced by city government.
In Gulshan-i-Iqbal, almost the entire service road from Hassan Square to Ashfaq Memorial Hospital has become impassable owing to its dilapidated condition. Area residents held the owners of barbecue houses and fast-food restaurants responsible for causing extensive damage to the service road as they have not only occupied the pavement and footpath to serve their customers, forcing the pedestrians to walk amidst the vehicular traffic, but also throw all sorts of rubbish and leftover food items on the service lane.
