KARACHI, March 11: The City Nazim, Syed Mustafa Kamal, on Saturday laid the foundation stone of the Petrol Pump Chowrangi Nazimabad Underpass project. He said the said project and two other underpasses, at Gharibabad and Liaquatabad, will be completed in four months.

Speaking on the occasion, he said projects worth billions of rupees had been started in Karachi in just one week, which had resulted in the city’s non-stop travel on the road to progress. He said Karachiites would feel a positive difference after four months.

Mr Kamal said he believed in realism and pragmatism, adding that work on the project had started just a minute after unveiling its plaque, and it would continue till its completion.

He said the project would have two tracks of three lanes each, which would help in the smooth flow of traffic.

He said he did not want banners of appreciation, as serving people was his mission and an integral part of his duty.

He said no underpass had ever been completed in just four months in the history of Pakistan, but all this would be the first time that all the three underpasses of Gharibabad, Liaquatabad and Nazimabad would be duly completed in a period of four months.

He said work on these projects was started simultaneously, because had these projects been initiated separately, Karachiites would have faced hardships for 12 months.

He said the progress of Pakistan was linked to the progress of Karachi.

He said when the people of other developed countries worked on the uplift of their cities and countries, it was not that they were more educated than Pakistanis. However, their quality was that they fully owned their cities and countries.

He said he would strive hard for solving the problems of Karachiites, and ensure Pakistan’s progress through the progress of Karachi.

Kamal said there was a misconception that no work could be done in the city government without bribe and commission.

He said, as leader of this big entity, he had proved that the misconception was wrong.

He said no one could dare to take bribe under his management.

He said that saving some incidents at the lower level, the city government, he could safely claim, was corruption free.

He said Karachi was also the city of the DCO, the MD Water Board, the engineers, contractors and consultants.

Earlier, the nazim unveiled the plaque to kick-off work on the Nazimabad underpass project, while the DCO Karachi, Fazalur Rehman, and representatives of the contracting firm signed the project’s agreement.

FAIR AT EXPO: The city government is trying to make Karachi the region’s economic hub to attract more foreign investment, said the City Nazim, Syed Mustafa Kamal.

He was speaking at the “First National Engineering Education Conference”, organized by the Ecommerce Gateway on the sidelines of the International Textile and Industry Fair (ITIF) on Saturday.

He said Karachi contributed about 68 per cent to the country’s total revenue and, therefore, it should be made the centre of economic activities in the region instead of just making it the country’s economic hub.

He said exhibitions like the ITIF 2006 could help in attracting foreign investment in Pakistan.

Kamal pointed out that the city government was improving infrastructure of the city, which was essential for attracting investment and boosting industrialization.

He said the city government had sought technical assistance from Chinese engineers along with local expertise for building roads, underpasses, flyovers and laying of water and sewerage pipelines in accordance with international standards.—PPI/APP