On 13 December 2003, the President inspected the various ongoing development projects in Karachi to review the progress. He gave instructions to the National Highway Authority (NHA) to speed up the work on the Karachi Northern Bypass Project (KNBP) in a bid to complete it by the end of October 2004.
In a follow-up of this directive, the concerned authorities seemingly accelerated their pace of work in coordination with the KNHA. Some quarters are exploring the possibility of developing an industrial and warehousing estate along the right of way of the bypass project. Other possibilities of development are also being contemplated by the concerned authorities.
It is evident that the KNBP shall have a sizeable impact on the overall transit system of the city, particularly with reference to goods carriers, oil tankers and vehicular flow in and around old town/port areas. It shall be useful to review the planning, alignment, design and related characteristics of this important project.
The project was an essential part and parcel of the urban transit solutions conceived and developed in the Karachi Development Plan (1973-85). The city planners of those times were able to assess the ensuing traffic loads and congestion that was to occur due to the port bound traffic.
The project was evolved in a bid to develop a continuous loop around the city on the format of a semi-link road. Development of container terminals at the alignment and junction of the KNBP and the Super Highway was also a major consideration in this planning exercise.
The idea was re-emphasized in the KDP (1986-2000). The final draft report of this plan mentions that "the KNBP is intended to provide an alternate route from the port of Karachi to the Super Highway. This route is proposed to pass from the port along the western fringe of the city, crossing the northern boundary of Surjani Town and then joining the Super Highway.
The KNBP, when complete, will provide a means of access to the northern area of the city. In particular, it will make the development of Halkani, Taiser and (northern) Surjani Towns as well as (northern parts of) Scheme 33 more feasible" (p. 17, 1990).
The project has passed through various stages in decision making, planning and design. Feasibility and planning exercises speeded up in 1993-94. A Singapore-based firm was invited to develop the project design and supervise the execution in association with local consultants. After detailed reconnaissance and engineering surveys, the route from Jinnah Bridge (near Karachi Port) to Gulshan-e-Maymar was marked.
Initially, a total length of 33 km was envisaged up with a double section in order to minimize the cost. Later the consultants stressed for a right of way (ROW) measuring 200 meters with a length of 56 km. Shortly thereafter, the length was increased to 68 kilometres. Progress remained stalled till the ascent of the present government to power in 1999-2000. Under the personal directive of the President, the project was re-commenced in April 2002. The progress has been continuing ever since.
The KNBP is now re-aligned to its previous 56.6 km length (see Table-01 and Figure-1). According to the NHA staff, the project involved negligible re-settlement on the right of way in which the few families/households falling in the alignment have been re-located a few hundred yards behind in the same area. All the necessary compensation has been paid to the concerned households.
The land acquisition process is nearing completion through a pre-worked out strategy. In order to facilitate speedy execution of the project, the implementation work is parcelled into two packages. The first package is spread up till 32 km from the starting point while the second package comprises 24.6 km and stretches up till the end point.
There is a massive coordination effort that is being undertaken in the section which lies in the developed urban area. It includes obtaining 'no objection certificates' from the relevant departments, conducting dialogue with stake holders and preparing political will for the various levels of project. The CDGK is assisting the NHA in sorting out the issues pertinent to the removal of encroachments from the locations lying in the city.
About 70 shops and stalls are to be removed in these locations in order to move on with the project. This is a tough phase of the project and shall require a substantial input from the CDGK to clear the way for the wider section of the bypass to be developed as per the stipulated design. The KNBP shall be managed by the NHA with the prevailing road tolls levied and revised from time to time.
Timely execution of KNBP shall cause several physical and socio-economic impacts on the city functioning. According to studies, the cargo movement and warehousing activity has changed during the past several decades in Karachi. Similarly the Karachi port operations have tremendously expanded.
In 1951, Karachi port handled 2.8 million tons cargo; 95 per cent of this cargo was transported by railways. In 1991 the port activity escalated to the handling of 26 million tons cargo per annum, 80 per cent of which was transported through roads. One can imagine the rising magnitude/volume 'of the freight traffic moving through the Karachi roads and emerging maintenance problems.
Besides, the population of Karachi also rose exponentially. The wholesale markets of Karachi, most of which are located in old town, catered to a population of 1.3 million in 1951. The same markets catered to 10 million people in 1991.
Hence the pressure on the old town and its land-use! The chemical market, metal market and rice and grain market (Dhan Mandi) are all located in this area. If the cargo terminals are constructed along the Super Highway, then these markets will be all willing to move out. The KNBP can facilitate this massive activity if integrated in a properly developed land-use plan on its edges.
It is adequately obvious that Karachi will receive development impetus along its northern edge. The already planned and / or designated townships of Taiser, Halkani and the already initiated Surjani will experience accelerated development. Besides there will be a favourable response from the developers and builders community to tap on to this new opening corridor. If the land-use allocations, physical planning and consequent development be rationally done and monitored, the new corridor and townships can become assets for the city growth. However the issues of water supply, land grabbing and control of squatter settlements will have to be properly managed.
At present, the municipal bodies and cantonment boards spend a sizable proportion of their budgets on the road maintenance. Among various factors responsible for the deterioration of roads, frequent and unprecedented movement of heavy traffic, freight vehicles and goods carriers is a major issue. It cannot be resolved unless the heavy vehicles are provided with an alternate path to move.
Construction of the KNBP will relieve the municipal roads from unwanted congestion and the municipalities from incurring heavy costs on repairs and maintenance. The inner city of Karachi was once a location of vital cultural activities that supported the social life of the city. With the rising congestion and changes in the land-use from residential to commercial, such spaces lost their vitality. For a healthy survival of urban life it is utmost vital to instil a new spirit in this lost activity. The initiation of KNBP will act as a starting threshold to move towards revitalization of the city.
It is an established fact that the Bypass will facilitate the development of a logical warehousing activity along Super Highway. There are ample land reserves available on that corridor. The nearby residential locations will be housed by the workers employed in the warehousing districts. Besides, the Port Qasim/cargo terminal will also be connected to the KNBP through the link road and could form a continuous road link. The entrepreneurs would obtain optimum flexibility of operations.
The city is devoid of terminal facilities for trucks and trailers. One can observe numerous locations in and around the city where the trucks and trailers are freely parked. Parking, movement and frequent repairs cause chronic hindrance in vehicular and pedestrian movement. The truck operators also wish to keep out of the city. However due to lack of proper locations, they have no other choice but to park their vehicles in the city locations.
The NHA officials claim to be making sizeable progress to achieve the completion deadline of October 2004. However the physical inspection of the corridor and the construction sites revealed that it may not be possible. In order to make the progress aligned on realistic schedules, the NHA needs to revise its deadlines.
The coordination with CDGK must be instituted to tackle the issue of developing the cross-section which falls in the city limits. NHA needs to firm up the work schedules to avoid cost over-runs as well as to reduce the rising problems of vehicular flow where ongoing works have disrupted it.