Karachi Mayor reviews Nazimabad underpass development works

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Mayor of Karachi, Wasim Akhtar, regretted that no attention was paid on the maintenance of city underpasses during the decade alleging that the Sindh Government was only doing development works on papers as none of the ministers or even MPA was seen on roads, unwilling to leave their air-conditioned rooms for the cause of a city not belonging to them. 

“80 percent of our Rs 80-crore budget being spent on sewerage works and I will send the bill of sewerage works to the Sindh Government. We are doing development works on the ground and are among the people. We are third tier of government and I have full support of the elected city council.”

He expressed these views while talking to media representatives on a visit to Nazimabad underpass on May 3 to review and inspect the road carpeting and other uplift works. 

MNA Kanwar Naveed Jamil, MPA Mahfooz Yar Khan, Vice Chairman DMC Central Shakir Ali, Chairman of City Council Works Committee Hassan Naqvi, MC Central Afaq Saeed, Chief Engineer and Executive Engineer were also present on this occasion. 

 The Mayor informed that the road carpeting work in the Nazimabad, Liaquatabad and Gharibabad underpasses was being done with a cost of Rs two crores.

He said that besides improving the roads in underpasses, their drainage system will also be made better and whole system will be overhauled to make these underground corridors safe and convenient for citizens. 

Wasim Akhtar remarked that in past these underpasses were having lot of problems and street crimes happened there whereas many people got injured and killed in accidents in these underpasses but no one paid attention to this serious problem of Karachi. 

He said with the start of uplift works in the underpasses rain water will not stay in these passes during rains and citizens would have this facility to use them in rainy season also. The Mayor of Karachi stated that the elected representatives were in regular contact with the people in their area and all development works being done under their guidance and consultation.