KARACHI: The provincial government plans to carry out Rs248 million worth improvement work on I.I. Chundrigar Road, the main commercial artery of the metropolis, under the Annual Development Plan, officials said.

City Commissioner Iftikhar Shallwani told Dawn that the local government department would carry out major improvement work on I.I. Chundrigar Road from Shaheen Complex to Tower under the directives of Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah. A high-level meeting with the chief secretary in the chair was held to chalk out the rehabilitation of the road, he added.

He said that the provincial government had finalised the ‘I.I. Chundrigar Beautification Plan’ for which the PC-1 had also been sent for the CM’s approval, which was expected to be given soon after the Eid holidays.

Banks and other stakeholders that had their offices located along the city’s major artery had committed to supporting the road project by looking after the improvement work and ensuring no vehicle was parked illegally in front of their premises, Mr Shallwani said. Regarding vehicle parking, he said, it would be managed inside the Pakistan Railway Ground.

Certain buildings along I.I. Chundrigar Road, he said, such as Uni Tower, Uni Centre and Uni Plaza, were not being maintained and needed to be tidied and given a face-lift.

“It was decided that a meeting with representatives of the associations of shopkeepers and owners will be held at the commissioner office in this regard so that everyone is engaged in the efforts to revamp this important artery of the metropolis,” he added.

The commissioner said that the State Bank of Pakistan and various other financial institutions, including the Pakistan Banking Association and a number of business and trade organisations located along the road supported the government initiative.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2019