THE scale of disruption in routine life that is currently visible across Karachi is frustrating. The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has been carrying out seemingly endless excavation work for laying supply lines. What might have been necessary infrastructure work has added more chaos to an urban landscape already struggling under the plethora of so-called ‘development projects’.
Nowhere is the situation more painful than in Gulshan-i-Iqbal along the University Road, which can hardly be described as a functioning road anymore, given the prolonged disruption caused by the Red Line construction. The SSGC’s excavation has aggravated an already unbearable situation. This raises a basic question: from whom did SSGC obtain the permission to dig up roads, streets and lanes around the road? If the permission came from the Sindh government, then it must explain why it allowed another major intervention to take place in an area already crippled by its own project. Was there a coordinated plan between the relevant agencies? Who assessed the cumulative impact on Karachi’s roads and residents? And, most importantly, who was made responsible for restoring the roads after the gas company’s work was completed?
There is another puzzling aspect. The Karachi mayor has told the media that SSGC has provided Rs14 billion to Jamaat-i-Islami-led town municipal corporations (TMCs) for the reconstruction of roads damaged by its excavation. If the money has been transferred, why are the roads still lying in ruins? Where is the mechanism ensuring that the funds are actually being used for the intended purpose?
Ultimately, this is not merely a question of potholes, broken roads or even traffic congestion. It is a question of governance. If the SSGC damages a road, who repairs it? If the union councils (UCs) receive money for reconstruction, who monitors its use? If the Sindh government grants permission for excavation, who ensures that the city is restored afterwards? Karachi’s citizens should not have to pay the price for institutional chaos. They deserve better.
Dr Asif Ahmad
Karachi
Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2026
