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| October 20, 2007 | Saturday | Shawwal 7, 1428 |
KARACHI: Delays hit expressway opening
KARACHI, Oct 19: Work on the Lyari Expressway, which has been already delayed by more than two years, is still progressing at a snail’s pace mainly owing to non-availability of a right of way to the construction firm at the project’s northern-bound track.
However, work on the southern-bound track was going on in full swing and might be opened for vehicular traffic in the next couple of months, well-placed sources in the National Highway Authority told Dawn.
The project’s cost has jumped from Rs5.1 billion to over Rs7.5 billion due to the inordinate delay in its completion while expenditure on the resettlement of the affected people is estimated at Rs4 billion.The sources said the Frontier Works Organisation, which is undertaking the project under NHA’s supervision, had already completed more than 80 per cent work at its southern-bound track and over 60 per cent at its northern-bound track.
Citing non-availability of a right of way as the main reason for the delay, they hinted at wrong assessment of the houses which were to be removed from the banks of the Lyari river to give a clear right of way to the FWO for speedy construction.
In support of their contention, they said it could be assessed from the fact that 24,000 families had already been shifted by the city government to the resettlement areas whereas the survey officials had initially estimated shifting of 12,000 to 14,000 families for the purpose of a right of way.
Another hindrance in executing the project was confronted at its northern-bound section, the sources said, where Hassan Aulia Colony, Mianwali Colony and Liaquatbad existed.
They said political forces also managed to get the process of removing houses delayed. A party was reluctant to take such an action prior to forthcoming elections because of its strong vote bank, the sources said.
Whenever city government teams visited the areas to remove some of the houses strong resistance was put up by those opposing the overall shifting, they added.
The city government undertook the resettlement of the affected people from both the northern and southern sections of the Lyari river to Hawkesbay, Taiser and Baldia townships. During the last five years, the city government has resettled more than 24,000 families and handed over 98 per cent right of way at southern section and 70 per cent at the northern section to the FWO. Each of the families which were displaced was offered an 80-sq-yard plot and Rs50,000 cash.
The LEW project had been undertaken by the FWO in May 2002 under the supervision of the NHA. Though the project was scheduled to complete in 30 months, the resettlement process is still on, behind schedule by around three years.
Residents of some houses in Pir Ellahi Bukhsh Colony, meanwhile, said they had sent a letter to City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal, apprising him of the situation arising out of the construction of a storm water at the expressway at its southern portion in Nagpur Mohalla. They complained that the entrance to their houses was blocked owing to the construction of the drain.
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