KARACHI, Oct 9: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan inaugurated on Thursday the city’s second signal-free corridor, connecting Sharea Faisal with Surjani Chowrangi through five flyovers.

Amid strict security arrangements, a formal ceremony was held at the Governor’s House in the evening where a large number of diplomats, businessmen, industrialists, provincial ministers, town nazims, elected representatives, senior government officials and others were present. However, no prominent leader of the Pakistan People’s Party was seen at the gathering.

Before the function, the Sindh governor with City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal and City Naib Nazim Nasreen Jalil visited all the five flyovers and inaugurated the signal-free corridor at level II of the newly built Nagan Chowrangi Flyover.

The 19-kilometre-long corridor connects Sharea Faisal with Surjani Chowrangi through flyovers at the Millennium Mall, Jauhar Mor, Gulshan Chowrangi, Sohrab Goth and Nagan Chowrangi. However, the Gulshan Chowrangi flyover is yet to be completed and the development work is in its final stages. But the roads under the Gulshan flyover has been reconstructed and opened for vehicular traffic.

It is the second signal-free corridor as before its completion, the city government had built the first such corridor that connects Sharea Faisal with Site through three flyovers and three underpasses.

Speaking at the function, Dr Ibad congratulated the citizens of Karachi for the successful completion of the corridor in a short period of one year.

He agreed that there were numerous issues, including that of non-availability of funds for the development projects, but assured the city nazim that the development of the metropolis would not stop and the people would not allow anyone to hinder the development of their city.

Referring to the reports of possible abolishment of the local government system, the governor said there would be some changes or improvements in the system and the Karachi city government would remain in place.

He said the country was facing several challenges and there was an economic crisis also. He appealed to the businessmen to come forward and play their role in making the country’s economy sustainable.

He said that the present government was taking every possible step to bring on board all political parties to devise a joint strategy against terrorism and extremism.

Speaking at the programme, the city nazim said the city government had initiated work to build five flyovers of the second signal-free corridor and completed the project with a cost of over Rs3 billion.

He said despite some financial problems due to non-release of funds by the government, the city government did not stop work on the projects in view of the fact that the delay in their completion would have increased the cost. He said the city government had slashed its non-development expenditures and arranged around Rs450 million through bridge financing for the early completion of the project. “Had we not taken this step, the cost of construction material would have gone up many times and the work on the projects would have halted.”

Without naming anyone, he appealed to all not to take development in Karachi as a potential political threat and instead consider it as a model progress.

Mr Kamal said that in the absence of a proper mass-transit system in the city, the two signal-free corridors had made a non-stop journey possible for citizens from one end to the other end of the city, reducing their travel time from two hours to just 15 to 20 minutes.

He recalled that when the city government started development work to build roads and signal-free corridors, it had faced criticism from all sides. “However, we remained focused and completed dozens of roads and flyovers besides the underpasses within a short period of three years which has solved many traffic-related problems,” he said.Earlier, City Naib Nazim Nasreen Jalil, in her speech, praised Mr Kamal and his team for developing the city.