The repairing of the Malir Bridge started on April 9 and until now, little progress has been made in the project.
KARACHI: The problem that people are facing due to the reconditioning of the Malir River Bridge in Karachi has compelled me to write this article.
Firstly, the department concerned has not taken notice of the condition of the flyovers and if it has done so, I can only assume that it has forgotten to complete these prolonged repairing sessions. The repairing of the Malir Bridge started on April 9 and until now, little progress has been made in the project. Traffic has been running in one lane of the bridge for the last 10 days; a few months ago, a small portion of the same deck was severely damaged and now it is really frightening to see traffic jams on the same deck with double load on it.
Heavy traffic is common and expected here as this bridge is used by people belonging to the Steel Mills, Port Qasim and various other major industries of Karachi. Heavy duty vehicles of the industrial area, contract buses of the Steel Mills and other traffic use this route very frequently on a daily basis.
Students coming to FAST — where I study — from all over Karachi are also affected by this chaos; buses and contract vans are taking alternative routes which consume more time and energy of the people who travel through this area. The traffic also disturbs residential areas.
Residents and commuters both are facing terrible problems due to the snail-like speed of the ongoing repairs. It takes almost 45 minutes to travel just two kilometres, adding to the frustration of people. What also ensues are traffic jams, and noise and air pollution.
The authorities concerned should pay attention to this issue and make efforts to complete the work as soon as possible by ensuring that work on the bridge is carried out 24/7. Hopefully, in the future, construction work will be better planned, especially in busy areas.
Muhammad Ataur Rehman
Published in The Express Tribune, April 21st, 2013.
