The reconstructed Khayaban-e-Saadi, located near the Boat Basin in Clifton, was inaugurated on Friday.
Giving details about the reconstruction process, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation Administrator Muhammad Hussain Syed said that the 3,700 feet long and 40 feet wide road has been rebuilt at a cost of Rs 75 million using a new technology to protect it from seawater. “A drainage system and service road has also been constructed alongside the road,” he added.
“Seven big development schemes in Karachi are presently under way while some other projects worth over Rs 6 billion are in the approval stage including the construction of flyover at Corridor-IV and the projects of Signal-Free Corridor-V.”
Syed informed the media that the decisions made in a meeting chaired by Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan would open a new chapter of progress and development in Karachi.
He also quoted Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah as expressing his desire that “more and more development projects should be started in Karachi”.
Speaking on the occasion, Sindh Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Khan Durrani, who inaugurated the road, said that over the years, many problems have emerged in the city for want of resources. “However, all possible efforts are being taken for swift and prompt completion of development projects,” he added.
The minister said all major roads in Karachi will be made beautiful and clean and they will also be reconstructed, if need be. He said considerable improvement would be observed with the coming of the new local government system.
Touching upon the issue of financial crunch acting as a hurdle for development projects, he said that funds are issued by the federal government and the provincial Finance Department releases these funds directly to the local bodies. “The government is trying to ensure timely disbursement of salaries to all employees and completion of all development projects in time,” he added.
I visit Pakistan casually, while staying in Karachi, when I see the condition of flyovers; it makes me feel extremely uneasy. I fear of the day when a flyover might collapse due to corrosion caused by extremely poor construction methods and lack of skills. What really surprises me that there does not seem to be any knowledgeable concrete specialist in Pakistan who can use the correct mix design in relation to the temperate climate of Karachi, using superplasticisers, correct water/cement ratio, correct thickness of concrete over RCC, preventive coating of sealants on the columns of flyovers.
It looks that the contact for the construction of these flyovers is given to those who lack the knowledge of concrete, what sort of mix designs to be used, how RCC can be kept passive and prevented from corrosion. The flyovers built in Australia and other developed countries are designed to last for 100 years while flyovers built in Karachi are not older than 20 years, but by looking at their depleted condition, I wonder as to how many millions of rupees are being spent on the construction of these defective and flawed flyovers and this money is being thrown down the drain.
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