CM Murad Ali Shah approves 11 new development schemes worth Rs7 billion for Karachi

A total of 449 schemes worth Rs40.6 billion of the Annual Development Plan (ADP) are being developed in the city while 11 new schemes worth Rs7 billion would be launched to make Karachi more beautiful, impressive and livable city.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said this on Friday as he presided over a meeting to review the progress of ongoing schemes and discuss new proposed schemes for the city.

Briefing the meeting, Sindh Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said 11 new schemes for Karachi had been identified that included the construction of Shahrah-e-Noor Jahan from Abdullah College to Qalandria Chowk, Shah Jehan Avenue from Water Pump to Qalandria Chowk with restoration of storm water drains, flyover at Safoora Chowk, bridge at Jauhar Chowrangi, road from Grex village to Y-junction with construction of a storm water drain, construction of Syed Rais Ahmed Jaferi Road with a storm water drain, underpass at Star Gate, two-lane bridge at Garden Road, underpass at Pir Sibghatullah Shah Rashdi Road at the National Stadium, construction of roads surrounding the Supreme Court registry and renovation of the Empress Market.

The CM directed Planning and Development Board Chairman Mohammad Waseem, Local Government Secretary Roshan Shaikh and Karachi Package Project Director Khalid Masroor to sit together and finalise paperwork for the schemes so that they could be approved in time and launched without delay. The schemes may cost around Rs7 billion.

The CM maintained that he had released Rs15.14 billion against 449 ongoing schemes worth Rs40.6 billion under the Karachi Package. He expressed his displeasure at the fact that against the release of Rs15.14 billion, only Rs7.1 billion had been utilised.

To this, the local government minister said patch work of roads in all six districts had recently been launched and it was possible that more money was utilised than the expected expenditures.

Murad also expressed his disappointment over the delay in opening the left track of the road going from Khaliquz Zaman Road towards DHA Phase II. He was informed that a building on the left side of Punjab Chowrangi Road had been vacated for the purpose but two more shops were yet to be vacated for the same cause, to which he remarked that he had gone through the layout plan of the area and the building in question was illegal. He directed Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Shallwani to get the building bulldozed and restore the track of the road towards Sunset Boulevrad.

He was also displeased at the fact that most of the main roads in the city were being used for parking of vehicles. The entire Khaliquz Zaman Road, including at Delhi Colony, Tariq Road, roads in Clifton, and various roads of Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Nazimabad and North Nazimabad gave the look of a parking lot, he said, directing the commissioner to pass on his directives to the traffic DIG to get this practice stopped and report to him.

The project of the renovation of the Karachi Zoological Garden also came under discussion during the meeting. The CM expressed his displeasure at the slow pace of the work. “This is quite unacceptable that the progress on the scheme is very slow though I have released all the relevant funds,” he said.

He also observed that the elephants kept in the zoo could not be used to offer rides, and directed the local government minister to procure an Asian elephant on which the children visiting the zoo could ride.

The CM said the schemes that had been completed included the Hyder Ali Road underpass, Tipu Sultan Road underpass, Sunset Boulevard Bridge and bridges in Korangi and various other areas. He said these project were to be excluded from the ADP book after the submission of their PC-IV.

Murad directed the commissioner to talk to the authorities concerned and get work on Natha Khan U-turn started. “I want its inauguration latest by April,” he said.

He also pointed out that work on the storm water drain right from Star Gate to Chakora Nala had been left incomplete. He ordered to resume work on the scheme. He remarked that the road going towards the KN Academy should be reconstructed because it had become one of the busiest roads of the city. It was also decided to beautify various roads including Stadium Road.

The CM directed the planning and development board chairman to prepare a scheme for the construction of the Mehran Highway for the next financial year and said it would also be completed in the same year.

The meeting was informed that the widening of Orangi Bridge had been completed. The CM said he would start visits to the ongoing schemes within the next 15 days.

He also directed Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) Managing Director Asadullah Khan to visit the city and conduct a survey of the gutter system and repair it where it was damaged. He said he was not supposed to tell the water board everything they should do and the KWSB needed to take such initiatives on its own.

The meeting was also attended by Adviser to the CM on Law Barrister Murtaza Wahab, Finance Secretary Hassan Naqvi and the Karachi Development Authority director general.