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Thursday March 28, 2024

Potholed University Road in dire need of repair, not filling work

Residents have been complaining ofcraters full ofrunning sewagefor months

By Zeeshan Azmat
March 21, 2015
Karachi
A good portion of the main University Road — from Safoora Chowrangi to Safari Park — has been full of potholes filled with sewage for the past couple of months.
Though some work was done about a fortnight ago to try and patch up the potholes, they surfaced from the sand again only after a few days, much to the consternation of residents and traders in the area.
The main University Road was part of a signal-free corridor initiated by the then city mayor Syed Mustafa Kamal who left the office in 2009.
But the road was never constructed properly. The then administration of City District Government Karachi built the road till the Silver Jubilee Gate of Karachi University, but the remaining portion of the road going toward Safoora roundabout was not repaired or carpeted.
Besides, Jauhar Complex and the localities nearby, running sewage has also been present for the past few months on the flyover in front of Samama Shopping Complex near Safari Park and adjoining portions of the road.
The elevated U-turns at Abul Hassan Isphahani Road, adjacent to Safari Park and former NIPA roundabout are also full of potholes filled with sewage, creating difficulties for commuters who often wait for hours to move on from affected portions.
Meanwhile, the commuters and inhabitants living near Jauhar Complex were surprised on Thursday to see a couple of tractors of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation filling huge craters, which have existed for a number of years, with sand.
“This temporary measure will last for only a few days since the heavy vehicular movement on the road will remove all the filling and expose the dilapidated road again which has been destroyed due to the constant presence of running sewage water,” said Mobeen Ahmed, one of the shopkeepers at Jauhar Complex.
The sewerage system seems to have been choked by the presence of too many illegal and make-shift shops, besides unauthorised extensions of commercial projects, opined a resident of Billy’s Homes in Gulistan-e-Jauhar’s block seven, Muhammad Ali.
Moreover, he said, garbage also remains piled on the side of the road, in the greenbelt and other open spaces in the area for months and is not collected regularly. “When it rains, the garbage flows into storm water drains and ends up blocking the sewerage lines,” he said. “This results in overflowing sewers on the main roads and near residential projects in this area. The sewerage lines here burst quite often and sewage gets mixed with the drinking water supply and results in the spread of diseases.”
Shah Mehmood, a resident of Jauhar Complex at the end of University Road, said both encroachment and overflowing sewerage lines eroded the road and made it full of craters.
“The main University Road from main Safoora Chowrangi till the former Jail Chowrangi had also been in a poor state for a number of years,” said Shahid Ali, a shopkeeper. “The Safoora Chowrangi itself has been in a dilapidated condition for quite some time.”
He remarked that the portion of the road from Safoora Chowrangi till Karachi University was in dire need of repair and demanded that they be performed immediately.
When The News contacted officials of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, officials said that a plan has been prepared and forwarded to the Sindh government for approval. He said the corporation was only waiting for it to be approved before beginning construction on the road.
“The engineering department has done its work by preparing and
sending the PC-I to the relevant authorities in Sindh government. We believe construction on the affected portion of the road would begin soon,” said the official. “A policy statement on the matter will also be released soon.”