KARACHI, Oct 3: City Nazim Mustafa Kamal has called for accelerating the shifting of affectees of Lyari Expressway and said that particularly the South-bound area should be vacated at the earliest to hand it over to the National Highway Authority.

He was chairing a meeting held on Tuesday to review the shifting of population from the Lyari river bank for the expressway construction on.

The meeting was attended by Lyari Expressway Resettlement Project Director Shafiqur Rehman Paracha, MDA DG Amirzada Kohati, Gulshan-i-Iqbal Town Nazim Wasey Jalil, UC nazims, the officials of revenue department and others.

Addressing the meeting, the nazim described the expressway as the most important project of Karachi and said it must be completed on time to overcome the city’s growing traffic problems. He said that the shifting of affectees should be geared up, as no delay in the completion of project could be afforded.

He directed the revenue department that on receipt of documents of shiftees, they must get compensation cheques within two days and demolition of houses vacated by them should start immediately.

He asked the elected representatives, particularly the union council nazims, to maintain contact with people and solve the problems and impediments wherever these were experienced.

Mustafa Kamal took strict notice of public complaints that fake documents had been prepared in respect of Sector-52 of Hawkesbay Housing Scheme and land mafia was fleecing the people on the pretext of giving plots in this sector while no such sector existed at all. He directed that action be taken against land mafia.

The nazim called for strict watch on the government land in the area to check encroachment. He said the areas where people had been shifted, should be made model localities with provision of all facilities of water, sewerage, gas, electricity, roads and other basic amenities to residents.

He pointed out that the government was taking all steps to make the life of people comfortable. He said that people might face some problems but the development works were being carried out in their interest.

He said that another meeting would be held next week to review the pace of work and to see how far the directives issued had been implemented.—APP