Murad to inaugurate first phase of Malir Expressway on August 14

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah will inaugurate the first phase of the Malir Expressway on August 14. He held a meeting on Wednesday to review the progress of major development projects under construction in Karachi.

Shah directed the local government department to expedite work on the Malir Expressway so that its first phase can be opened to the public in the second week of next month.

He also directed the Karachi Water & Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) to start work on the Rehabilitation of the Hub Canal Project on August 1 so that it can be completed within a year.

The meeting was told that construction work on the first segment of the Malir Expressway, which spans 15km from the Jam Sadiq Bridge to Shah Faisal, is 77 per cent complete, while the physical progress of the second segment from Shah Faisal to Kathore is 29 per cent complete.

LG Minister Saeed Ghani told the meeting that the progress on connecting the Jam Sadiq Bridge to the Malir Expressway is at 13 per cent.

The EBM Interchange is at 96 per cent, the Pir Bukhari Nullah Bridge and the Chakora Nullah Bridge both are at 99 per cent, and the Shah Faisal Interchange is at 90 per cent.

However, work on the Quaidabad connectivity stands at eight per cent. Work on the 38.681km Malir Expressway started on May 12, 2022, and is scheduled to be completed in June 2025.

The CM directed the LG department to expedite the work on the first segment so that he can open it for the public on August 14.

The meeting was told that the government has started a project to rehabilitate the existing canal and appurtenances, construct a new canal with a capacity of 100mgd and upgrade the existing canal for Rs12.73 billion.

The CM said that with the rehabilitation of the existing canal, 30 to 35 per cent of the water for Karachi’s West, Central and Keamari districts would be increased. He said that with the construction a new canal along the existing canal, these three districts would be receiving 200mgd.

He also said that keeping in view the importance of the project, he has decided to construct the project from the provincial government’s resources, so he would not tolerate any delay in its progress.

Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab said he has personally monitored the entire process. He said that after hiring a consultant, the tender has been awarded, and work would be started shortly. The CM directed the mayor to start work on August 1 and send him pictures. “I will personally visit the site and witness the progress of the work in the middle of August.”

The meeting was also attended by Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Principal Secretary to the CM Agha Wasif, Karachi Commissioner Hassan Naqvi, LG Secretary Khalid Hyder Shah, Transport Secretary Asad Zamin, KWSC CEO Salahuddin and Malir Expressway Project Director Niaz Soomro.