KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Sunday paid a visit to various areas of the city to review progress of work on uplift schemes. He was accompanied by Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani and his Adviser on Information Murtaza Wahab.

Speaking to reporters during his visit to Lyari, the chief minister said that development works in the city were being carried out without any political consideration. “We do not care which party candidate was elected from the constituency where uplift work is in progress. It’s people’s right to have good infrastructure in their localities for which the government is working hard.”

He said that Blue Line transport project had not been abandoned or cancelled. Rather, the private party which was supposed to execute the project had withdrawn itself from the contract. Therefore, the government was looking for an alternative to launch it, he added.

Murad inspects ongoing work on different schemes

He said as far as the the Yellow Line and Red Line projects were concerned, they were being launched with the assistance of Asian Development Bank and World Bank. Both the projects had been approved by the banks and now these projects had been sent to the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) for a final approval.

“I have requested the federal finance minister to get both the projects approved from ECNEC so that we are able to start work on them,” he said, adding that the minister assured him of an approval in the next ECNEC meeting.

During his visit to Garden, Shaheed-i-Millat Road, Korangi’s residential and industrial areas, Hawkesbay Road and other areas, the CM inspected the ongoing and newly launched development works.

Uplift schemes for Karachi

The chief minister told reporters that he had launched seven new schemes in the city with an estimated cost of over Rs1.714 billion. These schemes include Rs248.340m rehabilitation of I.I. Chundrigar Road, Rs260m rehabilitation/provision of gantries, signboards and indication boards between Liaquatabad No.10 and Shershah, Rs190m scheme for fixing of traffic signal, gantries, signboards, indication boards and beautification of University Road, M.A. Jinnah Road and Peoples Chowrangi, Rs176m beautification scheme of M.T. Khan Road up to Punjab Chowrangi, Rs180m beautification works of Shahrah-i-Pakistan between Sohrab Goth and Guru Mandir, Rs160m beautification scheme for Rashid Minhas Road between Nagan Chowrangi and Sharea Fisal and Rs500m scheme for the construction of 200-ft-wide road between Manghopir Road and Shahrah-i-Qadhafi as well as the Orangi-Surjani link road.

He recalled that under a Karachi package, 17 schemes costing Rs10.76 million were also being executed which would be completed between August and December this year.

These on-going schemes included an underpass at Submarine Chowrangi, replacement of the damaged 12-dia water supply pipeline, enhancement of machinery at UC-4 Metroville pumping station, water supply line from Hazar Chowk to Al-Wajid Town, rehabilitation of Karachi Zoo scheme, construction of road between Tank Chowrangi and Super Highway via Thadho Nala, a flyover at Tipu Sultan intersection, an underpass at Tariq Road intersection along Shaheed-i-Millat Road, an underpass at Hyder Ali intersection, reconstruction of Stadium Road, construction of a stormwater drain between Star Gate and Chakor Nala, etc.

The chief minister said he was committed to give Karachi the best infrastructure and services that would change their lifestyle. “Had the provincial government not faced a shortfall of Rs95 billion in the federal transfers in 2018-19, I would have completed more schemes within the previous financial year,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2019