KARACHI, Sept 6: The Transport and Communications Department of the City Government has invited private parties to establish pedestrian bridges on BoT basis at various earmarked sites.
This is for the first time that the civic agency in Karachi is involving private sector to finance steel pedestrian bridges in lieu of exclusive rights to collect advertising revenues for 10 years which is renewable.
According to details, the TCD has identified many potential sites on main roads of Karachi where pedestrian movement is considered unsafe due to heavy vehicular traffic but due to paucity of funds, private sector is being approached to finance the job.
To make the terms attractive for investors, a number of measures have been taken which include granting the rights to advertise on both sides, exemption from land rent and advertising taxes for 10 years.
The city government will provide full assistance and security to facilitate work, besides arranging the NOC.
Investors can approach the TCD, but according to an official of the department, preference would be given to those presenting attractive and innovative facilities at the bridge with engineering design.
The department has identified 26 sites where pedestrian bridges are urgently needed, these include bridges opposite Urdu Science College, Mazar-i-Quaid, Naseerabad F. B. Area, Nazimabad No 6, Golden Gate, Sakhi Hasan, Drig Road Railway Station and other places in Karachi.
Since, a new metal bridge costs around Rs1.8 million to Rs2.6 million depending upon its size due to width of the road, the department has also proposed the interested parties to relocate many of existing under-utilized bridges to better locations.
Shifting is not only cost-effective, a bridge would cost about half a million but it will also save time as new ones are manufactured by Pakistan Steel on order.
According to a survey conducted by the TCD, few of the most under-utilised pedestrian bridges in Karachi are those located at Jama Cloth market, Fatima Jinnah School, Nishter Road, Mahbat Khan J. Road near KMC School and others which may be shifted to better locations.
Though many of these bridges have been built near schools and recreational spots, some even have iron grills underneath separating the two roads, but general public, including children, have yet to understand the importance of utilizing the pedestrian bridges.
It may be mentioned here that pedestrian bridge in Hydri Market and the one erected at Nursery are the two most utilised pedestrian bridges in the city.
One private firm, Armada Road Advertising had proposed to the city government that they would build pedestrian bridges in Karachi in return of advertising rights on them for 25 years but Nazim Karachi Naimatullah Khan suggested that an open tender may be floated to attract major parties.—PPI