KARACHI, April 28: The City Nazim, Syed Mustafa Kamal, said on Friday that it would be for the first time that half a dozen mega projects would be completed simultaneously and inaugurated the same day by President Pervez Musharraf.

These vital projects include three underpasses being built at Nazimabad, Liaquatabad No 10 and Gharibabad and three flyovers at Hassan Square, Stadium Road and PAF Base intersection, to be completed in six months, he added.

He was speaking at the stone-laying ceremony of the PAF Base Flyover being constructed on Sharea Faisal at a cost of Rs357.543 million as a joint venture of the PAF and city government.

Air Vice Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, AOC, Southern Air Command, DCO Karachi Fazalur Rehman, PAF Base Commander Mohammad Hanif, Nazim Shah Faisal Town Mohammad Imran, city government’s EDO (Works and services), Sarfraz Ali Shah, KWSB Chief Engineer Asudomal were also present there.

Highlighting the importance of all six projects, Mr Kamal said all these projects, which were aimed at making the entire corridor (from Site to the airport) signal-free, would not only help in reducing travelling time but also in saving fuel, considerably.

He said the entire signal-free corridor will save businessmen and investors, going to a from Site to airport, from heavily congested places besides immensely benefiting people residing in Site, Baldia, Orangi, Nazimabad, North Nazimabad, Liaquatabad, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, PECHS, Karsaz, KDA Scheme-1, and other adjacent places.

He said though the PAF Base flyover had originally been scheduled to be completed in 12 months, the city government had decided to accomplish the task in six months by working round-the-clock.

The nazim said the flyover was the first joint project between the city government and PAF, and was being built on equal cost-sharing basis, adding that it would help in establishing an environment of trust between both organizations.

Reiterating that the city government’s vision was to improve the lives and work of citizens, he said the city government had already initiated a number of development works on a fast track and one could see the pace of work moving speedily and satisfactorily.

The nazim added that the pace of projects could be expedited further but they were problems in shifting of utility lines, as there was neither a digital map nor a master plan to indicate the position and length of these underground lines. He also said the city government had also started preparing a master plan and digital map for the city.

He pointed out that work on the Sharea Faisal Flyover had already started a few days back but its foundation stone was laid formally on Friday.

The Air Vice Marshal, Qamar Suleman, hoped that the flyover would be completed within stipulated period.

Apprising of the flyover’s salient features, the DCO, Fazalur Rehman, said it would be a 670 metre-long and 11.70 metre-wide bridge with 1.5 metre-wide footpaths. There will be four ramps measuring 213 metres each and one ramp of 244 metres.

Besides, the bridge will be having a clear height of 5.5 metres with a 5 metre-wide carriageway and one lane in each direction.