World Bank team reviews infrastructure upgrade plan for city

Mayor Wasim Akhtar has said the road network in the city needs immediate attention, which is why the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has devised a comprehensive plan to repair, rehabilitate and reconstruct bridges, flyovers and roads that have been built during the past five decades and are now dilapidated.

Akhtar said the World Bank will be provided with all possible help in its survey and study of such projects so that the basic city infrastructure could be made better. On the directives of the city mayor, senior officers of the KMC gave a detailed briefing to the WB team comprising environmental municipal engineer Joseph Gadek, senior social development expert Najmul Sehar and consultant Kabeer Dawani, who visited the KMC head office to discuss the city’s development projects.

The WB delegation was informed that repair, maintenance and extension of different bridges and flyovers would be carried out with an estimated cost of Rs500 million. The bridges constructed over a period of 50 years include the Old Clifton bridge, the PIDC bridge, the Lily bridge, the Natha Khan bridge, the Jam Sadiq bridge, the Teen Hatti bridge, the KCR bridge, the Rashid Minhas Road bridge, the Jinnah bridge at Keamari and different bridges over the Orangi, Lyari and Malir rivers.

The KMC has also planned to extend the Gujjar Nala bridge with a cost of Rs500 million, and to repair and rehabilitate the Landi Kotal and Cafe Pyala bridges costing Rs500 million. Installation of signals at the Tahir Villa roundabout at Nazimabad and repair of adjacent roads will be carried out with a cost of Rs200 million.

Extension of Allama Shabbir Ahmed Usmani Road and construction of a flyover at Maskan Chowrangi would cost Rs1.88 billion, and construction of a storm-water drain at Qalandria Chowk in Nusrat Bhutto Colony would cost Rs100 million.

These projects are expected to be completed between six and 18 months. They are aimed at solving the traffic problems being faced by citizens and to improve the city’s road infrastructure. The WB team reviewed all the projects, for which survey work would begin soon.

KMC officers including Technical Director to Mayor SM Shakaib, Municipal Services Senior Director Nauman Arshad, Anti-Encroachments Senior Director Basheer Siddiqui, IT Senior Director SM Taha, chief engineers of different city districts and IT consultant Daniyal Ahmed were also present on the occasion.