Infrastructure woes

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah recently criticised the federal government for delays in key motorway and highway project that are operated under NHA. While his concerns about federal inaction are valid, his own dispensation is responsible for much of the infrastructure woes within the province. The foremost case in point is the state of infrastructure within Karachi, the provincial capital and the country's economic engine, which has rapidly deteriorated at an alarming pace.

Karachi's streets resemble work sites abandoned mid-task. Key arteries are broken or left half-complete as overlapping projects drag on without coordination. The much-publicised Green and Orange Line corridors, intended to modernise urban transport, have instead prolonged congestion and chaos across multiple districts. Daily life for residents has become a test of patience, as traffic snarls disrupt commutes, thereby increasing accidents and vehicle damage. The problem is compounded by weak traffic management and unregulated encroachments that reduce road capacity and hinder effective repairs. Maintenance - rather the lack of it - is the most glaring issue. Roads are allowed to deteriorate to the point of collapse before any intervention is considered. There is no structured upkeep system, and planning rarely aligns with execution. Development is treated as a headline, not a sustained responsibility. Temporary, reactive fixes may provide short-term relief, but they do not address the underlying neglect that has left the city's infrastructure fragile and chaotic. Even where development funds have been released, there is little clarity on when or how they will be used, especially as recurring rains continue to damage already fragile networks.

Karachi urgently needs a strict, time-bound framework for completing stalled projects, combined with a permanent maintenance regime that intervenes before roads crumble. A fixed portion of the city's infrastructure budget must be ring-fenced exclusively for upkeep. Without systemic planning and sustained investment, the city's streets will continue to fail the people who rely on them daily.