• Orders Korangi DC, SSP to demolish illegal structures on state land
• Asks officials to complete work on expressway’s first segment by November-end

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Min­i­ster Murad Ali Shah on Sunday found that the state land along both sides of the Malir Expressway was being grabbed.

According to a statement issued from the CM House, Mr Shah paid a visit to the under-construction expressway and evaluated the project’s progress from Zero Point—near Jam Sadiq Bridge.

The CM then drove along the Malir Expressway from Zero Point to the Shah Faisal interchange.

On the way, he noticed that land grabbing had begun along the sides of the expressway. He stopped and called the deputy commissioner and SSP of Korangi district on the spot, inquiring why illegal structures had started developing under their watch, the statement said.

“I’ll not allow encroachment on even a single inch of government land,” he said, ordering them to demolish the illegal structures and report back to him, the statement added.

Another deadline for completion of first segment

Earlier, the CM also expressed dissatisfaction over the inability of authorities concerned to relocate K-Electric (KE) installations due to which the opening of the first segment of the Malir Expressway has been delayed.

The CM had given multiple deadlines to the authorities to open the 15-kilometre first segment of the key transport project from Jam Sadiq Bridge to Shah Faisal Colony. In September, he asked the relevant officials to open the first segment by the end of October, but in vain.

At Zero Point, he was received by Mayor Murtaza Wahab, Public-Private Partn­ership Unit head Asad Zamin, Project Director Niaz Soomro, Engineer Khalid Mansoor and others.

While inspecting the site, CM Shah expressed displeasure upon discovering that completed spans were lying on the ground, as they could not be installed on the pillars to create a traffic ramp at Zero Point.

Upon inquiry, he was informed that KE had yet to relocate its overhead installations, preventing the spans from being fixed on the pillars.

The CM instructed the deputy commissioner concerned to resolve this issue within a week, warning that he would take action if it was not addressed.

He pointed out that since KE had already been paid for the relocation of its installations, their delays were unacceptable.

The CM directed Mr Soomro to complete work by the end of November, as he intended to open the first segment for traffic in the first week of December.

Mr Shah and his team travelled along the expressway from Shah Faisal to Quaidabad to inspect ongoing construction.

During briefing, it was noted that while the expressway itself was ready, construction on the small interchange at Quai­dabad had been halted due to issues with land acquisition.

The chief minister stated that funds for land acquisition had been released and directed prompt payments to landowners to expedite the opening of second segment.

The CM also visited the toll plaza structures and triangular parks being developed at Shah Faisal and other interchanges, directing the plantation of grass and trees to enhance the areas’ aesthetics.

Furthermore, Mr Shah instructed the police department to prepare a plan for establishing police check posts to ensure the security of the expressway.

The Malir Expressway, stretching from Zero Point to Kathore, will feature six interchanges, three bridges, and five weigh stations. The project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2025.

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2024