CM sanctions Rs1.5bn for repairing roads in Karachi
KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah presiding over a meeting assessed the damage caused to the city roads by the 2024 heavy rainfall approved Rs1.5 billion to repair them and directed the Local Government Department to initiate an inquiry into the roads constructed or repaired after 2022 that have since been washed away.
“It is unacceptable for the quality of work to fall short of standards, and strict action must be taken against those responsible,” the chief minister said and emphasised the need for accountability in the construction and maintenance of public infrastructure.
The meeting was held at the CM House. It was attended by Minister P&D Nasir Shah, Minister LG Saeed Ghani, Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Chairman P&D Najam Shah, Secretary LG Khalid Hyder Shah, Secretary, MC Karachi Afzal Zaidi Special Secretary Finance Asghar Memon.
The CM directed Minister Local Govt Saeed Ghani to initiate an inquiry into the roads constructed or repaired after 2022 that have since been damaged. “This shows that the quality of the work was not maintained, therefore they must be brought to book,” he said.
Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab told the CM that there were 17,861,500 squares had been damaged during the rainfall of 2024.
District South has 909,500 square feet of damaged roads, East 795,000 square feet, Central 832,000 square feet, West 13,750,000 square feet, Korangi 5,555,000 square feet, Malir 625,000 square feet and 395,000 square feet of Flyover and bridges.
The CM was told that 120 roads, flyovers and underpasses of the city needed patchwork, including 20 roads in district South, 22 East, seven Central, 38 West, 11 Korangi, 12 Malir and 10 Flyovers.
He added that around Rs1.5 billion were required to repair and reconstruct the damaged roads, bridges and flyovers which the CM approved then and there with the directives to carry out quality work.
Mayor Karachi told the CM that under the CLICK program, six major works would be started, including the construction of Flyover at the Railway Line on Khalid Bin Waleed Road, District Malir, the construction of Mehrunnisa Hospital Road leading to Nasir Jump, Ibrahim Hyderi, rehabilitation of road from Bab-e-Khyber to Sector-4, Orangi, construction of road and drainage system from Khawaja Ajmer Nagri Roundabout to Manghopir via Dadex Factory, North Karachi, construction of Captain Kamal Sher Khan Shaheed Football Stadium and Sports Complex, District West and construction of Shahzad Football Stadium, Malir.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah chaired a separate meeting and identified that 219 roads, totaling 3,545.39km, in Hyderabad Division and 178 roads, totaling 124.81 km, in Sukkur Division, have been damaged by floods. He directed the W&S dept to estimate the damages and start repair works.
The meeting was held at CM House and was attended by Minister P&D Nasir Shah, Minister Works Haji Ali Hassan Zardari, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Chairman P&D Najam Shah, Secretary Finance Fayaz Jatoi, Secretary Works Mohammad Ali Khoso and others concerned.