Exclusive rights: Karsaz’s new bridge gives billboard rights to private builder

‘State-of-the-art’ pedestrian bridge opens on Karsaz Road on Monday

KARACHI: The new pedestrian bridge, which was inaugurated on Karsaz Road on Monday, will give exclusive rights to place billboards on the infrastructure to the private company that financed it.

A KMC official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told The Express Tribune that the private company that had been contracted to construct the pedestrian bridge had invested the entire capital. In return, they had been given permission to put up huge billboards on both sides of the bridge. The firm will be able to get returns on its investment and make good profit by renting out the billboards to advertisers, he explained.

On Monday, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) teamed up with the Pakistan Navy and a private company to show everyone how pedestrian bridges are a great idea after all. This particular bridge, built on Ibrahim Rehmatullah Road, commonly known as Karsaz Road, boasts state-of-the-art facilities such as street lights, a public toilet and security cameras. "We have opened this bridge for public today while another one on the same road will be inaugurated in the next few days," said Pakistan Navy's Karachi Commander, Arifullah Husaini.

He revealed that the two bridges, costing approximately Rs45 million, were a gift to the citizens who visit the Pakistan Maritime Museum at Karsaz Road. "During the last three years, almost 50 fatal road accidents have been reported at this spot," he said. "Hundreds of people visit the museum daily and the road is very dangerous for pedestrians."

Karachi Commissioner Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui said these bridges were being built with public-private partnership. He expressed gratitude that private institutions had come forward to reconstruct the city's infrastructure. "The KMC and other government institutions have spent nothing on these bridges," he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 24^th, 2015.