LCCI chief for early bridge construction, causeway repair over Hub River

KARACHI: President of Lasbela Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Ismail Suttar has urged authorities to urgently start construction of the bridge and repair of the causeway over Hub River. He expressed deep concern on the inordinate delay in the start of the construction of the bridge over Hub River and the pathetic condition of the causeway.

He was presiding over the urgent meeting of the LCCI called for discussing the concerns of the industries in Lasbela on the bridge construction and the situation of the causeway. He mentioned that the Hub Bridge is the main connection between Sindh and Balochistan through Lasbela District. The bridge collapsed due to heavy rains and flooding in the Hub River in 2022.

As a result, the logistics and traveling were affected badly. Needless to say, it needed immediate attention to address and NHA assured of it, however the progress on construction is highly disappointing and contrary to all the promises made by the NHA.

It is now over a year as bridge collapsed. The commuters are alternatively forced to use the causeway, which too is in extremely bad condition, causing traffic jams and accidents. The NHA needs to repair it and make it useable for the light and heavy transport using this as an unavoidable alternate.

Ismail said that we are expecting start of monsoon rains any time and the causeway must be repaired immediately to ensure the traffic flow of the industries and the public.

Ismail also mentioned that Lasbela has the largest organized industrial cluster in Balochistan. The industries are facing challenging situation and the logistic challenges have further aggravated the situation for running the business, bringing raw material to the factories located here and forward the produced good to the port and to the customers within the country.

The absence of proper surface connection of Hub, with the port of Karachi and the rest of the country made it impossible to fulfill our commitment with the local and international customers, timely.

The losses in production are resulting in heavy losses of revenue to the government. Any further delays in the restoration of logistics through the construction of the causeway and the construction of the bridge would result in irrecoverable losses to the business and to the nation.

The meeting urged the NHA to urgently start work on the causeway and to speed up the bridge construction as the matter has already been delayed and rains could start any time.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023