Slow and steady doesn’t always win the race
The Malir 15 Flyover will not be completed by its deadline of June 2016
The Malir 15 flyover, supposed to have been completed by December last year, will not be completed before June 2016 apparently due to delays in funds. PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
The much-awaited Malir 15 Flyover, being constructed since the end of 2013, will not be completed before June 2016. This time the blame has been placed on the Planning and Development Department (P&D), which is financing the project.
For a number of reasons, which a Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) official has explained to The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity, the flyover's construction has been progressing at a snail's pace.
The official said that the main reason for the delay was the financing of the flyover, which to be fulfilled by the P&D over the span of three financial years, from June 2013 to June 2016.
"There is no way the project can see the light of day before June 2016," the official predicted, adding that the final amount has yet to be released by the P&D, due to which work on the flyover can come to a standstill in the future.
However, the P&D technical director-general, PS Rajani, told The Express Tribune that KMC's finance department had informed them how much funding they needed for the project. He said that in every financial year, funds were released in four different quarters after every three months. "This is so a project would not be delayed due to late payments from our side," he explained.
Read: Malir 15 flyover to face further delays
Another reason for the delay was the lack of coordination between different departments. "It took more than seven months to relocate the utility lines from the construction site," lamented the official.
According to the official, a No Objection Certificate (NOC), which Pakistan Railways has to issue since a portion of the bridge is to be constructed on its land, has not yet been issued, despite the payment of Rs620,000 to the Pakistan Railways. Now Pakistan Railways is demanding an additional Rs140,000 to issue the NOC, the official claimed. "They say that the rates of Pakistan Railways have been revised," official said. Meanwhile the Pakistan Railways Karachi divisional superintendent, Nisar Ahmed Memon, said that to his knowledge nothing of this sort had occurred.
There are high-rise buildings and other structures blocking the flyover's 212 foot-wide right-of-way. "These constructions are illegal but their owners have leases," the official said, adding that the biggest problem was that of Masjid Noorani, which has been illegally constructed adjacent to the railway track. The official said that, according to the flyover's plans, a ramp from Azeem Pura to Malir 15 will be constructed above the railway track. "The mosque is obstructing the flyover's alignment," he explained, adding that the KMC will have to demolish part of the mosque and reconstruct it.
On the other hand, the mosque's prayer leader, Muhammad Baseer, told The Express Tribune that no KMC official has contacted him or any member of the mosque administration. He said that if the KMC was to construct the mosque the way they had been constructing the flyover, they will never allow the officials to demolish it. "The KMC will have to construct another mosque before we let them demolish this one," he said.
Read: Road, flyover construction approved for housing scheme
Opening one track
The flyover's project director, Syed Muhammad Taha, gave assurances that by November 15, both the tracks of flyover, from Malir 15 bus stop to Millat Bakery, will be opened. "Each track will be of three lanes," he said.
He said that another track from Azeem Pura to Malir 15 will be constructed later, which can take more time due to the delayed payments and illegal constructions.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 19th, 2015.
The much-awaited Malir 15 Flyover, being constructed since the end of 2013, will not be completed before June 2016. This time the blame has been placed on the Planning and Development Department (P&D), which is financing the project.
For a number of reasons, which a Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) official has explained to The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity, the flyover's construction has been progressing at a snail's pace.
The official said that the main reason for the delay was the financing of the flyover, which to be fulfilled by the P&D over the span of three financial years, from June 2013 to June 2016.
"There is no way the project can see the light of day before June 2016," the official predicted, adding that the final amount has yet to be released by the P&D, due to which work on the flyover can come to a standstill in the future.
However, the P&D technical director-general, PS Rajani, told The Express Tribune that KMC's finance department had informed them how much funding they needed for the project. He said that in every financial year, funds were released in four different quarters after every three months. "This is so a project would not be delayed due to late payments from our side," he explained.
Read: Malir 15 flyover to face further delays
Another reason for the delay was the lack of coordination between different departments. "It took more than seven months to relocate the utility lines from the construction site," lamented the official.
According to the official, a No Objection Certificate (NOC), which Pakistan Railways has to issue since a portion of the bridge is to be constructed on its land, has not yet been issued, despite the payment of Rs620,000 to the Pakistan Railways. Now Pakistan Railways is demanding an additional Rs140,000 to issue the NOC, the official claimed. "They say that the rates of Pakistan Railways have been revised," official said. Meanwhile the Pakistan Railways Karachi divisional superintendent, Nisar Ahmed Memon, said that to his knowledge nothing of this sort had occurred.
There are high-rise buildings and other structures blocking the flyover's 212 foot-wide right-of-way. "These constructions are illegal but their owners have leases," the official said, adding that the biggest problem was that of Masjid Noorani, which has been illegally constructed adjacent to the railway track. The official said that, according to the flyover's plans, a ramp from Azeem Pura to Malir 15 will be constructed above the railway track. "The mosque is obstructing the flyover's alignment," he explained, adding that the KMC will have to demolish part of the mosque and reconstruct it.
On the other hand, the mosque's prayer leader, Muhammad Baseer, told The Express Tribune that no KMC official has contacted him or any member of the mosque administration. He said that if the KMC was to construct the mosque the way they had been constructing the flyover, they will never allow the officials to demolish it. "The KMC will have to construct another mosque before we let them demolish this one," he said.
Read: Road, flyover construction approved for housing scheme
Opening one track
The flyover's project director, Syed Muhammad Taha, gave assurances that by November 15, both the tracks of flyover, from Malir 15 bus stop to Millat Bakery, will be opened. "Each track will be of three lanes," he said.
He said that another track from Azeem Pura to Malir 15 will be constructed later, which can take more time due to the delayed payments and illegal constructions.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 19th, 2015.