KARACHI, April 10: Repair work on a link road in Baghdadi Union Council of Lyari Town has been initiated after delay of almost a decade.

The road has been in a dilapidated condition for many years due to alleged negligence of authorities and was extensively damaged during the last monsoon.

Despite repeated public outcry and assurances by high-ups, no development work was carried out on the vital artery- Fidha Husain Sheika Road - which linked the Baghdadi UC with Mauripur Road.

The Lyari Town municipal administration has always cited the paucity of funds as the main cause for delay in the repairs.

The already fragile road network in the town was adversely affected by the last monsoon rains, a fact acknowledged by the high-ups of the Sindh as well as the city government.

The situation also invited the attention of President Pervez Musharraf, when he visited the Mauripur Road to witness the devastation caused by the rains.

Soon after his visit, the president called a meeting of the higher authorities and directed them to take urgent measures to improve the aggravating civic conditions in Lyari Town.

Last month, repair work was done on the Shah Latif Bhittai Road and some streets, which were extensively damaged during the last monsoons.

Concern has been repeatedly voiced by the residents over the inordinate delay in road repairs, as travelling on most of the roads in the town has become a nerve-racking experience because of abundant potholes and ditches.

With exception to some haphazard patch work, no proper repair work has been carried out by the city government.

The town nazim, in a communication to the president, had called for financial assistance to carry out road work in the area, under the Tameer-i-Karachi and other uplift programmes.