CM threatens to take over Karachi package project director’s responsibilities

Shah wants ongoing schemes completed by end-July as 16 new schemes to be initiated this year

KARACHI: Ongoing development schemes launched under the umbrella of the Karachi package must be completed by the end of this month or the chief minister will take the responsibility of the project director to complete them himself.

Murad Ali Shah said this while presiding over a meeting on Saturday to review the progress of Karachi package schemes at CM House. The meeting was attended by Local Government Minister Jam Khan Shoro, Planning and Development Chairperson Mohammad Waseem, Local Government Secretary Ramzan Awan, Karachi Package Project Director Niaz Soomro and programme manager Khalid Ahmed.

The chief minister lamented that the recent rain slowed the pace of the development work. “I want to restart the [suspended] work with new zeal so that they could be completed by the end of the month,” he said, warning that he would take on the role of the project director if the contractor failed to initate work on the road from the FTC flyover to Metropole within the next 15 days.

Shoro said that the work to upgrade the Pipri filter plant and pumping station has been completed 50%. “The machinery was ordered earlier and it has started arriving at the site,” Shoro said.



The minister said the construction of University Road from Hassan Square to NIPA was launched at a cost of Rs884.23 million and has been completed 95%. Only a few portions of its footpaths are left and will be completed shortly, he assured.

Soomro said that work on the construction of the Rs200.68 million Mosmyat Road has 99% been completed. Work on the Rs685.3 million Hub River Road has been completed 85%, while work on the road from Surjani to Madinatul Kikmat is 90% complete.

Other in progress schemes are the Rs933.38 million section of Sharae-e-Faisal to Metropole, which is 85% complete, while the construction of the road from the Baloch Colony Flyover towards Nursery is 92% complete.

Soomro said the rehabilitation of the Karachi Zoo was launched at a cost of Rs184.56 million and is 35% complete, prompting Shah to urge him to speed up the work. He also directed Shoro to complete the Jahangir Park scheme as soon as possible. “I want to inaugurate it on August 14,” he said.



New schemes

Sixteen new schemes will be started under the Karachi package this year, shared Shah. He directed Waseem to expedite work to approve the new schemes.

The schemes include the construction of the road from Tank Chowrangi to Superhighway via Thadho Nala, reconstruction of Tipu Sultan Road from Sharae-e-Faisal to Karsaz, construction of a bridge at the Tipu Sultan and Khalid Bin Waleed roads intersection at Shaheed-e-Millat Road, the widening of Stadium Road, construction of a flyover at Lea Market, construction of 12,000 Road in Landhi, improvement of the Cantt Station Road and construction of the road from Fawwara Chowk to Garden and then Abdullah Haroon Road.

Other new schemes include the construction of an interchange at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Girzri Boulevard, construction of a storm water drain from Star Gate to Chakra Nalla and construction of a water supply line from Habib Bank to Baldia Town.



The chief minister appreciated the hard work of the local government minister and the team working on the Karachi mega-project. “On some schemes the pace of work is slow and must be increased,” said Shah. He said he would pay surprise visits to the project sites that would be inaugurated by him at the end of the month.

All the ongoing schemes are on schedule to be completed by the end of the month, except the construction of the Submarine Chowrangi Underpass, which is likely to be completed by the end of August.