KARACHI, May 29: The city is set to have four more flyovers on key traffic intersections in different parts of the city as authorities have finally awarded more than Rs1 billion contracts to three different parties, it emerged on Tuesday.
Officials and sources privy to the details of the recently-concluded process said that the contracts to build flyovers on four traffic intersections — Ayesha Manzil, Water Pump, Liaquatabad Dakhkhana and Teen Hatti — were awarded to the lowest bidders.
“The process was initiated in March 2012 through advertisements in local dailies for interested parties,” said an official citing details of the projects. “More than a dozen contractors came up with interest in almost every single flyover but finally three companies, M/s Naseeb Khan, M/s Friends Syndicate and M/s Electric Services, were shortlisted and awarded the contract.”
For construction of a flyover at Water Pump traffic intersection on Shahrah-e-Pakistan, he said contract had been awarded to M/s Naseeb Khan to build at over Rs383.36 million. The same company also succeeded in winning Rs174.96 million contract to build a single lane two-way flyover at Teen Hatti traffic intersection, he added.
“The flyover at Ayesha Manzil on Shahrah-e-Pakistan would be built at an estimated cost of Rs378.20 million by M/s Friends Syndicate.
Another two-way flyover would be built on S. M. Taufeeq Road over Liaquatabad Dakhkhana traffic intersection at a cost of Rs365.70 million by M/s Electric Services,” he added.
He said eight months had been set as estimated time for the completion of all projects and construction of each flyover was expected to begin simultaneously by the end of June or in early July.
“After initial bidding process, the offers were forwarded to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s evaluation committee to get its nod before it was made public through Sindh Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (SPPRA),” said Altaf G. Memon, the director-general technical of the KMC.“It would definitely cut the traveling hours, ease traffic congestion and help building signal-free corridor V more effective and citizens friendly. The construction of these flyovers would help removing several traffic and congestion challenges.”The officials and people associated with the city’s development project said that the initiative was first of its kind after then city nazim Mustafa Kamal left the office in February 2010.