Murad inspects uplift schemes launched under Karachi Package-II

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed Inspector General of Police to make necessary arrangement for smooth flow of traffic because work on Rs 12 billion Karachi Package Phase-II has been started on war footings and it is bound to cause inconvenience to the people of Karachi.

This he said while talking to the city administration during his visit to the newly launched schemes under Karachi Package phase-II on Sunday morning.

He was accompanied by Minister Local Government Jam Khan Shoro and all the concerned senior officers of Karachi Package and divisional administration of Karachi.

The chief minister started his visit from Cantt railway station where all the approaching roads leading the station are being constructed for Rs 240 million.

The work has been started and necessary machinery has also been mobilized.

The chief minister after of the Cantt station went to Garden road at Ankelsaria via Fawara Chowk. At Electronic Market, Saddar the chief minister seeing heaps of trash and filth, thrown out on the road by the shopkeepers stopped his vehicle and directed Commissioner Karachi to talk to the association of Electronic Market to stop this unhealthy practice, otherwise take strict action.

The chief minister stopped at Anklesraia hospital where construction of road from Fawarchowk to garden via Abdullah Haroon Road and back to Fawara Chowk via Zaibunisa Market has been kicked off for Rs650 million.

The chief minister also drove from garden via M.A Jinnah Road to Tipu Sultan Road where two different schemes are in progress. The schemes are reconstruction of Tipu Sultan and Khalid Bin Waleed Intersection at Shaheed-e-Millat Road for Rs239.993 million and Construction of Bridge at Tipu Sultan and Khalid Bin Waleed Road Intersection at Shaheed-e-Millat Road for Rs515.180 million.

While going to Shahid-e-Millat Road the chief minister stopped at Khalid Bin Waleed Road when he saw the vehicles of showrooms parked on the footpaths. Expressing his displeasure and anguish Murad Ali Shah directed the commissioner Karachi either remove the encroachment/vehicle from the footpaths or bulldoze the footpaths.

The chief minister driving on Shahrah-e-Faisal stopped at Drigh Road where fly over connecting the drigh road with rashid Minhas road is being reconstructed. The concerned engineer briefed the chief minister about the work in progress. This fly over frequently develop craters due to its faulty design and now it is being reconstructed for Rs80 million.

From Rashid Minhas Road the chief minister went to Safoora Chowrangi via University Road where construction of the road and nala was in progress. At the chowrangi he mixed up among the people and listened to their problems.

Talking to media at the Safoora Chowarngi, the chief minister said that he has given clear instruction to Karachi administration and the police not to harass the people while going to Sea View to celebrate new year night.

`I have directed them [police] to remove all the containers placed there to block all the roads and arteries leading to SeaView', he said and added the people of Karachi, particularly the youngsters are responsible enough and they wont create problems for the public and themselves. `I am urging them to enjoy yourself peacefully and respectfully. Carrying weapons, one-wheeling and creating problems for others would not be tolerated', he said.

Replying to a question he said that the sugarcane price is not increasing because the cane of Punjab is sold in Sindh for Rs100 per 40 kg. `We have given Rs9.30 additional subsidy on export of sugar so that sugar millers could start crushing, otherwise they were reluctant to start saying that huge quantity of sugar was lying in their godowns', he said and added `with our efforts millers have started crushing and now there is the issue of sugar cane price for which we are taking measure to get the growers better price', he said.

Replying to a question, Murad Ali Shah said that he trying to complete all the development schemes being carried out in the city. `I have the realization that almost all major roads of the city are dug up to reconstruct them and this has caused serious hardship to the citizens', he said and added this hardship would hardly remain for next six to eight months and then these works would be completed.

On the last leg of his visit of the city the chief minister went to Seaview where he saw the containers placed at different roads to block entry to the sea view. On his directives the police removed the container.