CM Murad Ali Shah to lay foundation stone of Malir Expressway next month

Sindh’s chief minister has decided to organise the ground-breaking ceremony for the 39-kilometre Malir Expressway project in the second week of November. He has also approved the construction of a link road for Korangi.

Syed Murad Ali Shah took these decisions on Thursday during a meeting that he presided over at the CM House to review the projects being launched as part of public-private partnership.

Malir Expressway

The Sindh Investment Department informed the chief executive that the concessionaire agreement for the Malir Expressway project has been executed, while an independent auditor as well as an engineer have been appointed for the project.

The meeting was told that agreements are being finalised and banks have started approving the financial close of the project, while the concessionaire has been finalising a detailed design of the project.

The Malir Expressway is a 39km road to be constructed along the Malir River. It will be a four-lane carriageway. Its original estimated completion period is three years, but the CM has directed the investment department to get it constructed in two.

Three flyovers and eight underpasses will be constructed as part of the project, which will start from the KPT Interchange in Qayyumabad and terminate at the Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway near Kathore. CM Shah gave the go-ahead to the investment department to mobilise machinery for the project, saying that he will lay its foundation stone in the second week of next month.

Korangi link road

The chief executive also approved the construction of a 12km link road for Korangi. The starting point of the road will be the Creek Avenue at the Korangi Causeway intersection and it will end at the PAF Airmen Golf Club.

The alignment of the road will be along the Korangi Causeway and the Malir River. It will be a new four-lane road linking to Korangi. Shah directed the planning & development department to complete its geotechnical investigation and traffic survey before submitting their results for taking them up as part of public-private partnership or through the Annual Development Plan.

Recycling plant

The Municipal Wastewater Recycling Plant at the Treatment Plant-I in Karachi aims at supplying 50 million gallons a day of recycled wastewater in two phases — 30mgd in the first phase and a total of 50mgd in the second phase — to the Haroonabad Wastewater Treatment Plant for the SITE Industrial Area.

A private party will be engaged to take the water supply to industries, see to the operations & maintenance affairs, upgrades and replacements, and set up the required water supply infrastructure.

A dedicated pipeline network will be laid for the distribution of water to the industries in the SITE Area. The CM directed the public-private partnership unit of his government to expedite the project and start work on it.

Water supply

The 30mgd water supply project entails establishment of a dedicated bulk water transmission system from Dhabeji to the Korangi Crossing to supply 30mgd of additional water, of which 10mgd will be provided to the Dhabeji Industrial Zone and 20mgd to Karachi’s District South.

It also includes laying a pipeline from Dhabeji to the Korangi Crossing, and setting up a pumping station and a filter plant at the Korangi Crossing Area. Water will be distributed through the existing network of the Karachi Water & Sewerage Board and the cantonment board.

Sewage treatment

The chief executive was informed that the KWSB is interested in establishing a wastewater treatment plant project at the TP-IV, and that the project includes design, construction and management of a 180mgd primary and secondary treatment plant facility.

The Asian Development Bank’s Office of Public-Private Partnership is in the process of hiring consultants for a feasibility study of the project. It has submitted an expression of interest for undertaking the transaction advisory services of the TP-IV project.

The CM said the project was approved in the 30th Public-Private Partnership Policy Board meeting to carry out advisory services. He directed the investment department to expedite the advisory services so that the project could be started.

Pumping station

The Jamila Sewage Pumping Station project entails the rehabilitation, upgrade and operations of the existing Jamila Water Pumping Station in Karachi, including its adjoining infrastructure. The CM directed the KWSB to present the project to the Public-Private Partnership Policy Board so that the execution of the project can be approved as part of public-private partnership.