KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Sunday paid a visit to the metropolis, reviewed the pace of work on seven ongoing development projects and directed the authorities to remove bottlenecks causing delays in the completion of the Malir Expressway and Karimabad Underpass projects.

The CM was accompanied by provincial ministers Sharjeel Inam Memon, Syed Nasir Shah, Saeed Ghani, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab and other senior government officials.

While visiting the site of the Malir Expressway, the CM expressed his displeasure when he was informed that the completion of Segment-I from Korangi to Quaidabad had been delayed by three months due to a delay in relocation of installations of K-Electric and Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC).

Project Director Niaz Soomro told the CM that the 70 per cent physical work on the Phase I had been completed.

Suspends SHO for failing to stop builders from dumping construction debris along Korangi Causeway

He was told that the reason behind the delay was the KE that had to shift its remaining four installations for which it had already been paid. Similarly, the SSGC needed to lower its three pressure lines but it was delaying the process.

Mr Shah directed his secretary to fix a meeting with both the companies at CM House at the earliest.

The chief minister was told that there were some encroachment issues at the existing loop of the Quaidabad interchange and some land issues which needed to be resolved for completion of the project in time.

The CM directed the Malir deputy commissioner to immediately remove encroachment and resolve the land issues.

He directed the SSPs of Korangi and Malir districts to provide foolproof security to construction staffs working on the Malir Expressway.

SHO suspended

CM Shah suspended the Korangi SHO for his failure to stop people from dumping debris and garbage along the Korangi Causeway road.

He was told that the 2.3-kilometre-long bridge at the causeway was being constructed with an estimated cost of Rs6.499 billion.

He expressed his displeasure when he noticed that garbage and construction debris were being dumped at the site of the causeway.

He immediately suspended the SHO of the Korangi Industrial Area police station and directed the SSP to personally monitor so that no builder could dump the debris along the road.

The CM also visited the site of the New Jam Sadiq Bridge, where he was informed that it was a part of the Bus Rapid Transit Yellow Line corridor.

The bridge was being constructed over the Malir river with an estimated cost of Rs12.531bn. The CM directed the project director to speed up the work.

KDA told to expedite work on Karimabad Underpass

The CM visited district Central and inspected the construction work of an underpass in Karimabad.

He was informed that the project was launched with a cost of Rs1.35 billion and 35 per cent of work had been completed.

The CM directed the Karachi Development Authority to expedite the work as delay in its completion would compound problems in the smooth flow of traffic.

Other projects visited by the CM were construction work of Bakhtiari Youth Centre in North Nazimabad; rehabilitation / reconstruction of the road from Cafe Piyala near Gulberg Chowrangi to Rashid Minhas Road near UBL Sports Complex and reconstruction of Shahrah-i-Noor Jahan from Abdullah College to Qalandria Chowk.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2024