KARACHI, May 1: The Rs20 million allocated for the Korangi road’s expansion in the last provincial budget is set to be lost.

The road has been mentioned several times at the so-called high-level meetings as one of the projects needing immediate attention. Nothing has followed the resolutions made to complete the road.

The plan envisaged the expansion and improvement of the road from the Hino roundabout at Qayyumabad to Korangi Crossing.

The road, meanwhile, has developed more potholes. The ones already there have widened and deepened.

The portion of the road between the two embankments along Malir river is particularly in a bad condition. It’s dangerous too. Vehicles trying to avoid the potholes or broken patches careen onto the other side of the road and hit the vehicles coming from the opposite side. Many casualties have already occurred.

The road is in tatters near Qayyumabad. It gets submerged with sewage off and on thanks to the overflowing of a drain passing by. The spot is covered with cosmetic carpeting as often as it wears off. But no lasting solution for it is sought.

The delay in the work on the road has encouraged the encroachers at Bhitai Colony to creep farther on the road. Many shops have come up on the space left for the road’s expansion.

A local NGO, the Friends of Bhitai Colony, has appealed to the authorities to initiate work on the road. “Probably there is still time to make use of the funds allocated for the road,” says the head of the NGO.

But experts say as the work has not yet been undertaken and there is very short period left before the announcement of the next budget, there is no likelihood that the earlier budgetary allocations could be used. “You will have to wait for the announcement of the local government’s next budget,” says an expert. “They might re-allocate the fund, increase it, or may even drop the project.”—N.A.