Construction resumes at Numaish Chowrangi

Work remained stalled for two and a half months due to Covid-19 outbreak

KARACHI: After a lapse of two and a half months, the federal government has finally resumed the construction of Numaish Chowrangi underpass, which is now expected to be opened for traffic by the end of June.

The construction was stalled on March 22 due to Covid-19 outbreak and the ensuing lockdown, until when 90 per cent of the roofing work and 60 per cent of the underpass' construction had been completed.

This was confirmed by engineers from the Sindh Infrastructure Development Company Limited (SIDCL), a federal government agency partaking in the construction, who told The Express Tribune that roofing work was in final stages, but will take another four months to complete. Meanwhile, the underpass will be opened for traffic by the end of June, they said.

Moreover, following the coronavirus outbreak, most workers had returned to their hometowns, but have now returned and resumed work on the project on Monday.

Numaish Chowrangi underpass is a part of Bus Rapid Transit Green Line Project, the passageway for which runs from Surjani Town to Jamia Cloth Market after passing through Abdullah Mor, and its construction was started in January, 2016, under the supervision of the federal government and was initially expected to reach completion by December, 2017.

However, the progress the completion was delayed due to slow progress, frequent design changes and differences between the federal and Sindh governments.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 10^th, 2020.