It’s time to fly over Jam Sadiq bridge

Flyover that connects Korangi to Qayyumabad was closed for traffic since March

KARACHI: The 23-year-old Jam Sadiq Flyover, which was closed for repairs since March this year, is finally open for traffic.

The newly repaired flyover was inaugurated by Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah on Thursday afternoon. Shah appreciated the efforts of local government minister Syed Nasir Shah in making sure the maintenance work was completed before the new deadline. "It is nice of him and the entire population of Korangi Industrial Area and the industrialists will benefit," he said.

The repairs cost the government Rs221.2 million and it took nearly seven months, Shah pointed out.

Due to the delays, Karachi Commissioner Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui imposed a fine of Rs100,000 on the private contractor, Kamran and Company.

The flyover is most often used by people who work in Korangi and Landhi industrial areas, as well as heavy vehicles making their way to the export processing zone.

The flyover was originally constructed in 1992, a KMC official working on the site told The Express Tribune. After 23 years, holes had started appearing in the structure, causing accidents, he said.

"The flyover wasn't designed to cater to heavy traffic that started running on it," said the official, adding that, after the construction of the Karachi Port Trust Interchange on Qayyumabad Chowrangi, heavy vehicles started using this track to go towards Korangi and the Landhi industrial areas.

Zaman Town traffic section's head Muhammad Arif said that nearly 40 per cent of the traffic congestion on Korangi Road will be reduced with the reopening of the flyover. "The traffic that runs towards the industrial area will flow freely now," he said.

Shah promises fair LG polls

Addressing the inauguration ceremony of the flyover, Shah said the Sindh government is committed to holding local government elections in a free and transparent manner. "Our opponents are deliberately making hue and cry after witnessing the popularity of the Pakistan Peoples Party at the grassroots," he said.

Shah felt that Kalabagh Dam is a dead issue but politicians use it to gain sympathies ahead of the elections. "It is on record that three provincial assemblies have rejected it [Kalabagh Dam]."

Published in The Express Tribune, October 16^th, 2015.