KARACHI, Jan 13: Karachi Metropolitan Corporation Administrator Mohammad Hussain Syed told the officials concerned that work on four flyovers being constructed on Shahrah-i-Pakistan be carried out round the clock so that the project could be completed by March as planned.

The administrator was talking to the media after paying a visit to the construction sites of all four flyovers. He expressed concern over the slow pace of work on the Teen Hatti and Dak-khana flyovers and gave directions that work be expedited on those flyovers while he seemed satisfied at the pace of work on the Ayesha Manzil and Water Pump flyovers.

However, sources told Dawn that the KMC was violating laws by building all four flyovers without carrying out an environmental impact assessment for them before starting construction work. They said the flyovers had not been approved by the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa), which was mandatory for any construction project.

They said that violators of environmental laws could be awarded long prison sentences and be imposed with heavy fines.

According to the sources, the location for the Dak-khana flyover conflicted with the proposed alignment of mass transit project, adding that the Karachi Mass Transit Cell had also voiced concerns on the issue, but KMC’s top officials did not pay heed to it and proceeded with the construction work.

Meanwhile, talking to the media, the KMC administrator ordered preparation of a proper traffic-management plan so that regular traffic jams at Water Pump and Ayesha Manzil, owing to the ongoing construction work, be avoided and commuters did not suffer.

He said that the Shahrah-i-Pakistan passed through heavily populated and congested areas of the city but the hardships being faced by residents were temporary. He said that after the construction of flyovers, people residing in Martin Road area, Liaquatabad, Lasbella, PIB Colony, Nazimabad, Azizabad, Incholi and Karimabad would have direct and uninterrupted access to the Superhighway.

On the occasion, KMC director general (technical services) Altaf Memon informed the administrator that traffic would move via a signal-free corridor after the completion of Shahrah-i-Pakistan and commuters would be able to reach Sohrab Goth directly from Guru Mandir. Vehicles plying on many public transport routes would be relocated on flyovers to ease traffic movement under the flyovers, he added.

Meanwhile, the sources also criticised the role played by Sepa, saying that the organisation was not taking any action against the civic agency which was building flyovers without getting its approval first. They said that had this been done by a private organization then Sepa would have instantly sprung into action and would have given orders to stop work before sealing the project. However, in this case since the violator was a government body, Sepa was also taking its time to proceed with its punitive actions.

They added that when government agencies did not follow laws themselves or did not take action against another government organisation which also broke laws, they lost moral grounds to take action against private organizations.