Industrialists decry battered roads

Huge amount of money was required for repairing the bridge built on Malir river, says CM

KARACHI:

City's industrialists poured their hearts out to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah over Karachi's dilapidated infrastructure.

Zubair Habib, a prominent industrialist, while speaking at the signing ceremony of a partnership agreement with a private company for the development of Dhabeji Special Economic Zone on Tuesday, told the chief minister about the dilapidated condition of road leading to the 'flagship project'.

"I want to pick you up from your home one morning and I will not tell you where we are going. I bet you when we reach our destination, you will be compelled to ask 'how do you commute to work every day' ."

The CM inquired Habib about the highway he was talking about. In reply, Habib said that he was referring to the National Highway which leads to Dhabeji. "There are big potholes on this road which I have gotten filled up by the police even though it is not their job," he told the CM.

Habib went on to say that you should go further to Malir 15, Quaidabad and Manzil Pump. "You have built half bridges. Why build a bridge on one side and leave the other side unfinished?" he questioned.

Habib said that Malir Bridge was built ages ago and it took at least 25 minutes to go through it everyday. "If you want to promote investment outside Karachi, I will give you a road map," he said. At this, the chief minister said that huge amount of money was required for repairing the bridge built on Malir river and it would be fixed on availability of the required funds.

Meanwhile, Zubair Motiwala, chairman of the ruling businessmen's group in the Karachi Chamber, also addressed the Sindh chief minister, asking who was responsible for the lack of interest in improving Karachi's dilapidated infrastructure.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 23^rd, 2022.