KARACHI, March 3: The city government is all set to establish a new truck-stand on 500 acres near the Northern Bypass so that it could shift the existing truck-stand and warehouses along Mauripur Road to clear the route leading to the city beaches.

The decision to shift the existing Hawkesbay truck-stand, spread over 100 acres, was taken sometime back as the truck-stand is a major source of traffic jams caused by illegal parking, loading and unloading of goods and maintenance of heavy vehicles along the road. Besides, truck shops have turned the entire road leading to the Hawkesbay beach into a ‘no-go area’ for the picnickers.

Official sources in the city government told Dawn that in 1972 a truck-stand was established at Mauripur and all unauthorized truck-stands were shifted from different city areas to the Mauripur truck-stand.They said that due to the increasing number of goods carriers the defunct Karachi Metropolitan Corporation had planned to establish a new truck-stand and allocated 100 acres at Hawkesbay for it. However, the implementation of the project started in the mid-90s and due to mismanagement all truck shops and warehouses at the Mauripur stands could not be shifted to the Hawkesbay truck-stand.

At present goods carriers cross the whole city to reach the truck-stand and warehouses but after the new truck-stand is established, the traffic problem on Mauripur-Hawkesbay Road would be solved while the heavy traffic would not enter the city and will directly go to the port by using the Northern Bypass.

City Nazim Mustafa Kamal told Dawn that the construction of a new truck-stand was necessary to shift away the Hawkesbay truck-stand so that the road leading to the city’s beaches could be cleared of heavy traffic.

He said the new truck-stand would be constructed through public-private partnership. “The land has been handed over to the city government and we are planning to hire the services of an international firm having expertise in building truck-stands,” he added.

He said the shifting of the old truckstand would also help the city government to launch certain uplift projects along the city’s beaches besides providing citizens with more housing facilities.

However, the sources said the construction of the new truck-stand and shifting of the old one would take at least two years.

Meanwhile, Mr Kamal presided over a meeting to review the new truck-stand project at his office on Monday.

He said the city government had acquired land near the Northern Bypass to build the new stand and warehouses. He said a hostel for truck drivers and helpers and a restaurant would also be part of the project.

He said that access to the city beaches was almost blocked by the existing truck-stand and godowns and it had become necessary to establish a new truck-stand.