KARACHI: Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Sunday announced that Shahrah-i-Bhutto will be opened to the public on May 23.

He made this announcement while visiting the ongoing development work and reviewing progress on the project.

On this occasion, Local Government (LG) Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, the chief minister’s special assistant on investment and public-private partnership, and Deputy Mayor Salman Abdullah Murad were also present and received a briefing from project officials.

Talking to the media, Memon, who also holds the transport portfolio, said that Shahrah-i-Bhutto was being constructed under a public-private partnership model and that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari would inaugurate it on May 23.

He said the completion of the project would provide travel convenience to citizens, significantly reduce travel time and ease traffic pressure.

The senior minister further said that the groundbreaking ceremony for the bridge project linking Karachi Port to Qayyumabad would also be held on the same occasion, adding that it would reduce travel time from hours to a few minutes.

Meanwhile, LG Minister Shah said infrastructure was being improved and modernised across the province, including Karachi, and described the Bhutto Highway as a major gift for the people of Karachi.

Red Line utility issues discussed

The senior minister also visited the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Red Line project, where TransKarachi CEO Zubair Channa, engineers, consultants and other relevant officials were present.

Memon was given a detailed briefing by Red Line officials regarding the ongoing work and progress on the project.

He said construction work on the mixed-traffic lane was continuing round the clock, while the Frontier Works Organisation was working with great speed and efficiency on Lot 2.

He said mixed traffic on University Road had become a serious issue; however, utility-related problems were being resolved in a phased manner.

Memon said utilities could not be shifted in a single day, as the process might affect millions of people, while various difficulties also arose during development work in densely populated areas.

He admitted that work at some locations had taken longer than expected, for which the government apologised; however, he added that the BRT project would prove to be a long-term facility from which people would benefit for years to come.

He said that, despite it being Sunday, the relevant authorities were present in the field working on various projects, while inspections of the BRT Yellow Line and Shahrah-i-Bhutto were also underway.

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2026