Infrastructure: Underpass planned to link Sharae Faisal, Lucky Star

Sharjeel Memon lays foundation stone of project named after Nusrat Bhutto.

KARACHI: Sindh Minister for Local Bodies here on Wednesday laid the foundation of Madar-e-Jamhooriat Begum Nusrat Bhutto underpass being undertaken by KMC against an estimated cost of Rs510 million.

The underpass to be constructed from Hotel Mehran on Sharae Faisal to Lucky Star in Saddar will be completed in a record time of four months, with a total length of 338 metres including two ramps.

Commissioner Karachi, Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, Karachi Administrator, Saqib Soomro, Project Director Khalid Masroor, Metropolitan Commissioner, Masood Alam and other senior officials also accompanied Sharjeel Memon on the occasion.

The minister, talking to the media, said the project was attempted to be initiated on previous occasions too, including when local governments were in place, however, paucity of funds and lack of planning hampered the actual implementation of the scheme.

The PPP government in the province has earmarked adequate funds to help materialise the project, Sharjeel Memon said. “Around Rs110 million have been spent on removal of basic utilities including that of KE, Sui Southern Gas, and KWSB.”



Reiterating the PPP government’s commitment to get the project completed in four months, he said work on flyover at Golimar, pending for the past two years would resume next month. Moreover, work on elevated flyovers on Sharea Faisal and the construction of dual carriageway on the link road between National and Super Highways would start next month.

Responding to queries raised by the media, he said that while political reconciliation is the vision of PPP the elimination of terrorism is every government’s responsibility. “In fact operation against terrorists and criminals continued in Sindh during the past five years when MQM was also part of the provincial government,” he said.

To another query, he said neither MQM nor any other political party are focus of the ongoing operation whereas both police and Rangers were focused to weed out criminals and terrorists.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 19^th, 2015.