KARACHI, March 2: The National Highway Authority will launch the construction work of Lyari Expressway immediately after President Gen Pervez Musharraf performs the groundbreaking of the project on March 23.

The process of compensation payment and relocating the displaced families would begin early next week.

The decision was taken at a meeting presided over by Sindh Chief Secretary Javed Ashraf Husain. The meeting decided on some major issues to ensure early launching of work on Lyari Expressway.

The City Nazim, Town Nazims of Lyari, Site Area, the DG Kutchi Abadis Authority, District Coordination Officer, Karachi, Secretary Finance, Secretary Local Government, Corps Commander Engineers 5 Corps, officers of the NHA and other high officials attended the meeting.

The Lyari Expressway, estimated to cost about Rs5 billion, is being constructed on the directives of President Gen Pervez Musharraf. Starting from Sohrab Goth, snaking through 16.5 km alongside the Lyari river on either side, the expressway has been designed to terminate at Mauripur.

The meeting was informed about the minor changes made in the conceptual alignment of the expressway on technical grounds. The meeting approved the final alignment of the project. The approved maps, prepared with the aid of satellite imagery, were agreed upon and signed by the City Nazim and representative of the NHA.

The participants of the meeting were informed that a three-km, starting from Mauripur bridge on the left bank of the Lyari river, had been handed over to the NHA. The City Nazim undertook to resolve the issue of relocating the mosques, falling on the right of way. The possession of the right bank right of way from the Mauripur end would also be handed over to the NHA by the city government within two weeks. It would involve relocating of 350 families and removal of unauthorized godowns and factories. A stretch of 2.5 km from the Sohrab Goth end, starting from the bridge over Rashid Minhas Road, would be handed over to the NHA by District Coordination Officer, Karachi, within one week.

The issue of compensating residents, who would have to be relocated, was also decided. Every residential unit, to be relocated, should be compensated with an 80 square yards plot and Rs50,000 in cash. For families, that would be displaced in the process(about 14,000 in number), land at three locations had been identified and work was in progress to develop these lands.

The chief secretary emphasized upon the Project Director Lyari Expressway to develop land, identified to be allotted to the displaced families, properly. He instructed the secretary finance to immediately release Rs300 million to the Project Director Lyari Expressway.

It was decided that the process of compensation payment and relocating the displaced families should begin early next week. It had been decided in an earlier meeting that families to be displaced from the vicinity of Sohrab Goth, Liaquatabad and Mauripur should be relocated to Qaiser town, Baldia and Hawkesbay, respectively.—PPI