‘Cracks’ appear on Malir 15 flyover

KMC officials say cracks are in fact gaps in construction joints

KARACHI:

The government's decision to open in 'public interest' the yet-to-be-completed Malir 15 flyover on Monday seemed to have backfired a day later after cracks emerged on the newly-constructed structure.

However, officials of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) said the 'cracks' were actually construction joints, while the iron rods protruding out of the flyover were a result of oversized trucks hitting the lower parts of the flyover.

On Monday, the flyover's ramps from Malir 15 bus stop to Millat Bakery were inaugurated after two years of sporadic construction. Another track of the flyover, from Azeempura to Malir 15, is yet to be constructed. Speaking to the media after the inauguration, local government minister Jam Khan Shoro said even though 25 per cent of work on the project is yet to be completed, the flyover was opened in public interest.



The flyover's construction, which failed to meet several deadlines, caused losses to residents of the area as well as traders. The Landhi Association of Trade and Industry and Bin Qasim Association of Trade and Industry claimed they suffered losses owing to traffic delays and diverted routes. The alternative route established at Korangi's Dawood Chowrangi is full of potholes that are adversely affecting the movement of heavy traffic.

Athar, a truck driver who parks his vehicle under the flyover, told The Express Tribune that in the last days of the construction, the flyover was constructed haphazardly, mainly due to pressure from the public and media.

However, an official of Kainat Construction Company, the contractor of the flyover, denied all such allegations and said the cracks were not at all due to their negligence. The official said that the two bridges were joined together, due to which the gaps were visible. Pointing towards the crack at the centre of the flyover's abutment, he said it was due to the joining of the two sides. "Cracks are basically joints," he claimed, adding that they would be cemented soon.

On iron rods protruding out of the flyover, he said during construction heavy trucks used to pass by, one of which had struck the flyover. This broken portion would also be plastered soon, he said, adding that there was a lot of construction left on the flyover. "We have only opened it so that we could construct the other track," he pointed out.



Traffic engineer, Ashar Lodhi, while commenting on the cracks, said their depth needed to be examined. If the cracks are not deep, he said, they are not dangerous.

Meanwhile, the ramp from Azeempura to Malir 15, according to the official, would easily take another year or more. The official maintained that the KMC and Pakistan Railways were yet to reach a decision for the construction of the other track, as railways was yet to issue a No-Objection Certificate (NOC). However, KMC's DG technical Niaz Ahmed Somroo insisted that they have got all the NOCs from Pakistan Railways and work is under way.

On the construction of the service road, which is plagued with huge ditches, the official commented that they would only be constructed once the whole project is completed.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10^th, 2016.