KARACHI, March 26: A new controversy has started with the merger of Mirza Adam Khan Road by the National Highway Authority into the Lyari Expressway Scheme.

The road, which runs along the banks of the river, is separate from the boundary wall of the river and was never declared a part of the expressway.

It is surprising to note that a few days back the engineers supervising thee development works abruptly crossed their original limit of the proposed expressway and levelled about 50ft of Mirza Adam Khan merging it with the expressway scheme.

The administration of the Lyari town has taken expressed concern over the situation and has protested with the NHA project director.

“This sudden diversion has materialised without going through the road acquiring and even without intimating the town administration to whom the control of Mirza Adam Khan Road vests.”

According to the town administration, the road was never declared a part of the proposed scheme at any stage and it is separate from the boundary wall of Lyari river-bed.

The administration was of the view that this merger would heavily affect the traffic flow on this road which now has become congested and decreased by 50ft.

It further said there were utility lines, like 24-inch bulk water supply lines, sewerage and telephone lines underneath which are likely to be damaged by this “unplanned merger done without consulting these public-service-providing agencies.”

A municipal source said the town administration was neither consulted about the merger of the road nor any construction plan was ever communicated to him.

Not only that, the source said no plan had been produced to indicate future shape of this road after the merger.

The source further stated it appeared that originally no plan existed about this merger and a sudden decision had been taken in this direction without considering the consequences of affecting the public services lines.

The town administration urged the NHA authorities to explain the circumstances which compelled the NHA management to take such an abrupt action of merger ignoring the routine and usual process of road acquirement from the agency i.e. Lyari Town.

The administration made it clear that the town appreciated the efforts made and interest taken by the NHA to briskly initiate development works after dismantling the encroachments along the boundary wall of Lyari River bed.

Recently, the NHA came under fire by a cross-section of the people living in the adjoining areas of Lyari River banks and NGOs for changing the old design of the expressway “in a bid to grab more land”.

The mounting pressure of the people forced the NHA to change its bureaucratic attitude and forcing it to change its plan for demolishing old settlements on a large-scale.

The foundation-stone of the expressway was expected to be laid by the President on March 23 along the Gwadar Port development plan. But the President, it is learnt, has directed the NHA authorities to sort out all the public-concern issues before a formal launching of the expressway project.