KARACHI, Sept 21: City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal on Thursday announced a number of measures to ensure unhindered flow of vehicular traffic during Ramazan, including opening of three under-construction underpasses for traffic, removal of encroachments on all major thoroughfares, repair of roads and roundabouts damaged during recent rains etc.

The underpasses, he said, would be opened for traffic by the third of Ramazan, while there would be a ban on parking around Civic Centre, and a huge parking lot would be set up at the LSR Hydrant premises.

Speaking at a news conference at the Nazim Secretariat, the Nazim said that with a view to discouraging unauthorized parking of buses and other vehicles on either side of roads and which create unnecessary obstacles in the flow of traffic will be impounded and released only after imposition of heavy fine on their owners.

The owners of all those buses who park their vehicles on Nishtar Road, at Golimar and Liaquatabad intersections have been served notices, and some of the illegally parked buses have been confiscated by the town administration concerned, he said.

Moreover, land has been acquired from the Export Promotion Burea for construction of a road to avoid traffic congestion near Hasan Square,

About repair of roads and roundabouts damaged during recent rains, he said that filling of potholes and trenches and carpeting of roads would be accomplished before Sept 23.

The traffic police, he said, have identified 11 roads where carpeting and patchwork is required for ensuring smooth flow of vehicular traffic during Ramazan.

The city government, with a view to provide relief to citizens undertook carpeting and patchwork on as many as 23 roads, where development works had been going on.

Work is expected to be completed by Sept 23 after which these roads would be handed to the traffic police, he said, adding all these measures would help end traffic congestion.

The nazim made a commitment that there would be no traffic jams in Ramazan owing to the city government’s on-going development projects.

The roads identified by the traffic police include M A Jinnah Road, I I Chundrigarh Road, Shaheen Complex traffic intersection, Dr Ziauddin Road up to Clifton, Sarwar Shaheed Road up to Lucky Star traffic intersection, Rashid Minhas Road (from Drive-in Cinema roundabout to Jauhar Morr), Sohrab Goth intersection, Shahrah-e-Pakistan (from Water pump to Aisha Manzil intersections), Jehangirabad Road (from Barra Board to Jehangirabad).

Moreover, repair work was initiated on Shahrah-i-Orangi, Manghopir Road, Pak Colony Road (from Bara Board to Love Lane bridge), from Banaras Chowk to Valika hospital road, Rashid Minhas Road, Shahrah-i-Pakistan, Sakhi Hassan traffic intersection to Surjani (5000 Road).

About the New M A Jinnah Road (from Jail traffic intersection to Quaid’s mausoleum), he said that traffic flow would be restored on both tracks by Sept 23 after completing sewerage line laying work while the showroom owners have temporarily been allowed to park their vehicles in Tanki ground.