Karachi Commissioner Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui said on Monday said that he had asked the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) administrator to finalise and start construction of Korangi crossing flyover to save citizens from anguish.
“It is a sensitive location because of being closer to many big educational institutes, industrial area and PAF Creek Air Base and delay would add more issues,” he said.
Director General Technical Services KMC Niaz Ahmed Soomro had earlier said that an underpass would be required along the Korangi crossing flyover to cater to the needs of traffic in the area; otherwise the issue will not be resolved completely. To this, the commissioner said that the underpass would add more expenditure. It was not as such required and would unnecessarily linger the problem further.
This should be noted that Korangi crossing flyover has long become victim of KMC’s internal conflict. It has been months when Siddiqui was the administrator, since the KMC approved and announced that construction of the flyover would start in a few days.
The KMC spokesperson, Bashir Ahmed Sadozai, told PPI that the construction had been halted because of some technical issues as senior engineers were unable to decide whether to build the flyover with or without an underpass.
“The Rs 250 million project would take just six months once it gets started. We are taking expert opinions that what issues could be faced without underpass,” he said.
Sources told that the government did not want to construct an underpass to save money to earn short-term fame with only flyover; however, it would create a long-term problem.
The proposed location of Korangi crossing flyover has near it the biggest charity hospital of Pakistan, Indus Hospital, and big educational institutes like Institute of Business Management, BIZTEK, PAF Karachi Institute of Economics & Technology, Fatima Jinnah Dental College, Islamic Mission Trust Nursing School, The Intellect School, SSAT Degree College, Reflection School, Aman Tech Institute, Beacon House School, Karachi Public School and Nasra Trust School, where a large number of students from across the city come to get education. PAF Creek Air Base and Korangi Industrial Area are also nearby. This should also be noted that the condition of the road crossing over Malir riverbed parallel to Jam Sadiq Bridge and leading to the approved Korangi crossing flyover has become pathetic after heavy traffic started plying for seven months on it day in and day out, in gross violation of rules due to Jam Sadiq Bridge’s being under construction.
