Korangi Crossing flyover likely to hit snags

KARACHI: The construction of the Korangi Crossing flyover in front of Indus Hospital is likely to come to a grinding halt if the Sindh government fails to approve the revised PC-1 of the project, with updated costs.

Besides the release of funds, K-Electric's extra high-tension poles and the reservations of Indus Hospital are among the other obstacles that may jeopardise the fate of the flyover.



In November last year, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) kicked off the construction of two flyovers at the Korangi Crossing, to help ease traffic flow. One of the flyovers, on the road from KPT Interchange towards Ibrahim Hyderi, is two-way and already under construction. However, the fate of the other flyover in front of the Indus Hospital on the road coming from the Nasir Jump to the one leading to KPT Interchange, hangs in the balance. The construction of the two flyovers is part of one project.

Release of funds

According to an official of the project's contractor, Shamsher Khan and Co, they have received Rs50 million from the Sindh government so far for the completion of the project. Meanwhile, they have spent around Rs200 million on the construction of the flyover that joins KPT Interchange with Ibrahim Hyderi. The official told The Express Tribune requesting anonymity that the contractor wants the funds to be released before embarking upon the construction of the second flyover from Nasir Jump towards the KPT Interchange.



KMC director for the flyover project, Zafar Baloch, says that this is the discretion of the Sindh government as to when it will approve the revised PC-1 of the project. He admitted, however, that the delay in the approval of the revised PC-1 of the Golimar underpass by the Sindh government suspended its construction for about a year.



Extra-tension wires

According to an engineer of the KMC at the site, Muhammad Tahir, K-Electric's extra high-tension wires of 132,000 kilovolt can potentially become one of the reasons of the project's delay. He explains that K-Electric's installations have to be relocated and several illegally constructed buildings will have to be destroyed for the construction of the flyover in front of Indus Hospital.

Tahir says that there are two to three extra high-tension poles, which need to be relocated. For that, he says, they are already negotiating with the utility and its cost, around Rs90 million, will be included in the revised PC-1.

Labourers sent elsewhere

An official of the KMC requesting anonymity told The Express Tribune that since the construction on Golimar underpass restarted, KMC's staff at the Korangi Crossing flyover have been moved there. However, project director Baloch denies this. According to him, the Korangi Crossing flyover project was edging towards its completion very rapidly. "The contractors of both the projects are different," he said.

Meanwhile, Tahir claimed that work on the flyover, which is running from KPT Interchange towards Ibrahim Hyderi, is 90% complete and it might be inaugurated after Eid if all remains well.

Indus Hospital’s reservations

The Indus Hospital, which is in expansion mode, has its own set of reservations with the construction of the flyover.

Earlier, one of the founding members of the hospital, Dr Akhtar Aziz, had told The Express Tribune that they plan to expand the facility from 150 beds to 1,800 beds. Due to this, he had said, the hospital will receive 10 times more patients and ambulances than they usually did. According to him, with the construction of the flyover, the three-lane road in front of the hospital will turn into a two-lane one as the flyover's ramp will be constructed on one lane.



Indus Hospital asked the KMC to arrange segregated U-turns for ambulances rushing towards the hospital and a low-height underpass for pedestrians as well as special bus ramps for public buses to prevent the congestion of traffic.

The chief executive officer of the hospital, Dr Abdul Bari Khan, says that the KMC has agreed to arrange the U-turns. However, he says, the corporation has reservations with the underpass as that will increase the cost. He adds that failing to meet their proposal would be disastrous for the area. Project director Baloch did not comment on these reservations.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 31^st, 2016.