KARACHI: Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar said on Tuesday that a plan had been devised to restore and reconstruct the roads, flyovers, and bridges of the city.
On the directive of the Mayor, senior KMC officers gave a detailed briefing to the World Bank team comprising environmental municipal engineer Joseph A. Gadek, senior social development expert Najm-ul-Sehar and consultant Kabeer Dawani at KMC head office. KMC officers, including director technical to Mayor SM Shakaib, senior director municipal services Nauman Arshad, senior director anti-encroachments Basheer Siddiqui, senior director IT SM Taha, chief engineers of different districts of Karachi and IT consultant Daniyal Ahmed were also present at the meeting.
The delegation was informed that repair, maintenance and extension of different bridges and flyovers would be carried out with an estimated cost of Rs 500 million. The bridges were constructed over 50 years back in the city that include Old Clifton, PIDC, Lily, Natha Khan, Jam Sadiq, Teen Hatti, KCR, Rashid Minhas Road, Keamari’s Jinnah, Orangi, Lyari and Malir River bridges.
KMC has also planned to perform the Gujjar drain bridge extension with the cost of Rs 500 million and repair and rehabilitation of Landi Kotal and Café Piyala Bridge with a cost of Rs 500 million. The signalization of Tahir Vila Roundabout at Nazimabad and repairing of adjacent roads will also be carried out with the cost of Rs 200 million. While the extension of Allama Shabbir Ahmed Usmani Road and construction of flyover at the Maskan Chowrangi would cost Rs 1880 million and the construction of storm-water drain at the Qalandaria Chowk in Nusrat Bhutto Colony will be carried out at a cost of Rs 100 million and all these projects have the completion period from 6 months to 18 months.
These projects were aimed at solving the problems facing by citizens and to improve the city road infrastructure.
The World Bank team reviewed all these projects for which survey work will begin soon. The delegation also paid a visit to CCIS 1339 in the KMC Head Office.
Akhtar said that KMC would provide the full cooperation and possible help to delegation in its work plan and survey of such projects so that the basic city infrastructure could be made better. He said road network would be given extension and development. The total cost of Rs 4 billion is included in development and construction plan.