KARACHI, March 9: The city Nazim, Syed Mustafa Kamal, said here on Thursday that all the five mega projects –- three underpasses and one leg of two flyovers — which are aimed at making a number of major roads signal-free (from SITE industrial area to Quaid-e-Azam international airport) will be completed in four months.

These projects include underpasses at Nazimabad petrol pump, Liaquatabad No 10 and Gharibabad to be built underneath Ibne Sina Road and one leg each of both the Hassan Square and Stadium Road flyovers which will be connecting Sir Shah Suleman Road with Stadium Road and Stadium Road with Habib Ibrahim Rahimtoola Road, near Time Medico, respectively.

Stating this at the largely attended ground-breaking ceremony of an underpass being built at Liaquatabad No 10 (Ibne Sina Road) at an estimated cost of Rs 350.03 million, the nazim said that with the completion of all the five vital projects, motorists taking this signal-free route from SITE area would reach Quaid-i-Azam International Airport within 15 to 18 minutes after passing through three underpasses and two flyovers, thus they would not only save time but fuel also.

Besides, people residing in SITE, Pak Colony, Nazimabad, Liaquatabad, Federal B’ Area, Gulshan-i-Iqbal and adjoining societies would also benefit from the signal-free route, encompassing Ibne Sina Road, Sir Shah Suleman Road, Stadium Road, Habib Ibrahim Rahimtoola Road and Sharea Faisal, he said.

The Nazim said with a view to getting all the five projects completed within a scheduled period, two new clauses –- one relating to reward and another punishment — have been introduced for the first time in the contract document.

Elaborating on the new concept of giving reward or punishment to contracting firms, he said if the contracting firm honours its commitment of completing the project on its scheduled date of completion, it would be given one per cent extra amount of the total cost of the project and in case it fails to meet the project’s deadline, it would be blacklisted and won’t be awarded contract of the CDGK’s projects in future.

Emphasising the need for completing all the five projects on time, he said in case one project gets delayed, the entire plan of making signal-free road from SITE to airport would suffer.

Divulging the details of Liaquatabad No 10 underpass, he said that the 695 metre-long and nine-metre wide underpass would have a depth of 5.50 metres with 75 street-lights. It would have 5.50-metre wide service roads and 1.40 metre wide footpath on its either side, besides there would be storm-water drain all along the underpass.

Mentioning a recent agreement signed between the CDGK and a Malaysian firm for constructing an elevated expressway to be built from Jinnah bridge to Quaid-e-International airport, he said the project which would be completed at an estimated cost of US $ 225 million will prove to be boon for Karachiites as it would not only serve as an alternative signal-free route to Sharea Faisal, but would also provide relief to motorists who often become victim of traffic chaos whenever there is a movement of dignitaries.

The ceremony was attended, among others, by DCO Fazal-ur-Rehman, Liaquatabad Town’s Nazim Osama Quadri, senior officials of the city government and a number of nazims, naib nazims and councillors of different union councils of Liaqutabad Town.