KARACHI, Nov 20: Deputy convener of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement's coordination committee Dr Farooq Sattar claimed on Saturday that because of the efforts of his party , some modifications in the Lyari Expressway project had been accepted that would prevent dislocation of about 25,000 people.
Addressing a news conference at the Press Club, Dr Sattar termed it a major success of the MQM's political struggle, and said the decisions in this regard were taken at a high-level meeting of the president and prime minister in Rawalpindi on Friday, during which the MQM's contention was upheld.
Federal Communication Minister Shamim Siddiqui, Provincial Ministers Shoaib Bukhari and Mustafa Kamal were also present on this occasion.
The Lyari Expressway project is being implemented by the National Highway Authority with federal funding over the past three years. Dr Sattar said that the MQM campaigned for removing the impediments in the completion of the project because it believed that the projects which did not reflect public aspirations failed.
Dr Sattar, who is also parliamentary party leader in the National Assembly, said that in his view 20-feet wide service roads on either bank of Lyari river were not necessary when the four-lane freeway was being constructed on both sides of the river.
Owing to the MQM's efforts, General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had agreed to drop the idea of construction of service roads, he claimed.
Dr Sattar claimed that by getting its contention accepted, the MQM had actually saved Rs2.4 billion, out of which over one billion was to be spent on service roads and the rest on rehabilitation of the affected people. He said the MQM believed that construction of the project could be carried out by purchasing some machinery, which could operate from the river-bed.
Dr Sattar said the MQM would not accept any further delay in the implementation of the Karachi Mass Transit project, which he stressed must start within the next three months. He said that the MQM was not prepared to accept fresh tendering procedure, arguing that the seven short listed companies should be given two months to decide whether they were willing to undertake the project on BOT basis with some inducements.
"The government will not invite new tenders for implementation of KMTP and its implementation authority should invite only those parties, pre-qualified already for the project," said Dr Sattar.
He held the bureaucracy, mostly at the federal level, responsible for the delay, and said they should answer their objections which only served as delaying tactics.
He said that if necessary, loan should be obtained from China or any other sources for a mega project in Karachi on the patter of Gwadar or Chashma power project. Dr Sattar said that a three-member committee with representatives of the city government, provincial government and the railways, had been decided to ensure implementation of the project.
Dr Sattar declared that Karachi Circular Railway would be made operative in 2005 when northern bypass would be completed.
He also expressed concern over water leakages in the metropolis and said that if the problem was not addressed now, it would result into massive loss after completion of K-3 project by June 2005, as its 33 per cent water will be wasted due to the leakage.