KARACHI, Oct 8: Matters relating to the pace of construction at the Lyari Expressway (LEW), attainment of right of way and ongoing development works in connection with the resettlement of displaced people of the LEW were reviewed at a high-level meeting held under the chairmanship of the Federal Additional Secretary Communication, K.B. Rind on Friday.

The meeting was informed that over 60 per cent right of way had been handed over to the National Housing Authority for construction of the expressway. The meeting was told that to date 9,538 families had been shifted, out of which 5,300 had completed construction of their houses while work on rest of the houses was in fast progress.

It was informed that resettlement work at Hawkesbay and Taisar Town sites was in the completion stage while shifting of the displace persons to a third site of Taisar Town would start by the end of this month.

Ongoing development works at the site would be completed in the next eight weeks. It was stated in the meeting that concerned water, power, education and health departments were completely trying to fulfil their responsibilities in a proper way.

Mr Rind asked these departments to speed up their efforts so that those shifted could feel a positive change through a better life and better environment. After the meeting, K.B. Rind visited the right of way, and said construction of road should be started forthwith at places where right of way had been attained.

He appreciated the quality of work and asked all concerned departments that the project could be completed with higher technical expertise. He stopped at various places and reviewed the pace of work at embankments and steel pillars for bridge sites and issued on-the-spot instructions.

Mr Rind said that President Pervez Musharraf wanted an early completion of the project so that the serious traffic problem in the city could be solved, and while the people living on the banks of the Lyari river could be resettled in a cleaner and hygienic atmosphere.

He gave clear targets to the NHA, the FWO and the resettlement officials for the next month, and said the same would be reviewed in the next meeting. The meeting was attended by Karachi DCO Mir Hussain Ali, Project Director, LEW Resettlement Project Shafiqur Rehman Paracha, Project Director, LEW Mohammad Yusuf Barakzai, Brig Mohammad Anwar of the FWO, EDO Revenue Mohammad Waseem, Deputy MD W&SB Israr Zaidi besides senior police and Rangers officials.- APP