KARACHI: The performance of the Sindh government’s Competitive and Livable City of Karachi (CLICK) project and its team came under criticism when Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab on Wednesday questioned the sustainability and quality of the infrastructure development by the World Bank-funded programme after over a dozen roads recently rehabilitated by the CLICK were destroyed in rains.

The mayor took “serious notice” of the repair works after the moderate to heavy rainfall in different parts of the city left major roads caved in, key thoroughfares riddled with potholes and sewers overflowing.

As the rain is over and next weather system is in line for next week, the city is still reeling from damages of the last downpour.

In a letter to the CLICK project director, the focal person of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) highlighted “serious note” of the mayor over the post-rain situation seeking “report within a week” and asking for all issues be “addressed accordingly”.

Mayor takes ‘serious notice’ of quality of work by WB-funded project; seeks report within seven days

The mayor also wondered over the performance of the consultant hired by the CLICK and attached a list of some 14 roads, which were improved under the multi-million rupees World Bank funding only during financial 2023-24, but all of them were washed away in the recent rains.

“It is to bring to your kind notice, that the roads which were improved under (Click) World Bank assisted project in last year 2023-24 the consultancy services of M/S EA Consultancy were hired by the Click for the Estimation, Designing, Quantity and Quality Control,” said the KMC letter to the CLICK project director.

“But in this rainy season it is witnessed that some roads have deteriorated and creating problems for the commuters. The list of those roads attached as identified by the field staff. The worthy Mayor Karachi has taken a very serious note and sought a report within a week. Hence you are requested to ask the consultant to visit along-with KMC field staff to ascertain the cause and then address accordingly.”

The Sindh government in January 2020, with the help of the World Bank Group, had launched a US $240 million megaproject — CLICK — to bring in radical reforms in infrastructure with particular emphasis on increasing efficiency of the city’s local government delivery system.

It was the opposition in the City Council which recently sought details about the CLICK funding and raised question on the spending mechanism of the huge amount being “borrowed” from the World Bank.

The KMC letter to the CLICK has further strengthened the apprehensions of the local government elected representatives.

The list attached with the letter mentioned the name of 14 roads which were repaired with multi-million rupees funding during the last fiscal year, but “deteriorated” in the first spell of the current monsoon season.

List of damaged roads

The list named the road in Block-19 of F.B Area connecting Karachi Bahria and Shams Sweet and a road in the same Central district from Jan Plaza to surrounding area of Girls College Road in Block-J of North Nazimabad.

Similarly, the KMC field team also found the road from Bab-ul-Islam Imambargah towards Family Zoo in North Nazimabad in the same condition after the recent rains.

A road leading to Gulbahar police station from Firdous Colony faces the same situation, according to the KMC letter.

Nishan-i-Haider Road in Orangi Town, a road from Nagan Chowrangi to Children Hospital in North Karachi, a road in Khalifa Jat Parra, a road near Chowkandi in UC-24, a road leading to Shrafi Goth from Road 15,000, a road leading from Liaquatabad Dak Khana and Altaf Barelvi Road are also those links which were “improved” under the CLICK project but have been washed away in recent rains.

The other roads, mentioned by the KMC, included a key link from Qalandaria Chowk to Anda Mor in North Karachi, a road from Sector 8-C Masud Shaan-e-Mustafa Jamiat-ul-Mustafa Baldia Zone and Ahmed Shah Bukhari Road and Gangwaz Road and surrounding area of Lyari.

Other than the roads “improved” under the CLICK project, the other parts of the city aren’t different as well.

The city wardens have been deputed at certain points to handle traffic situation after the roads were damaged in the recent rains.

The number of deployment of wardens on those damaged points shows the severity of the situation.

“We have deployed wardens at some 100 points of the city where they are controlling traffic and facilitating them to alternative routes after the roads were damaged by the recent rains. The mayor Karachi has issued directives for the deployment of wardens to ease the traffic pressure on those roads and facilitate the motorists,” said an official.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2024