National highway with M9 motorway; Completion of remaining 7km of link road ordered

Commissioner Karachi office has directed superintendent engineer works and services department, Sindh to ensure the completion of remaining 7 kilometers of link road (Southern Bypass) connecting national highway with M9 motorway within ongoing fiscal year.

The directives were made at a meeting chaired by additional commissioner-I, Karachi Asad Ali Khan the other day held at commissioner Karachi office on the request of business community in order to resolve this issue, which cost millions to the trade and gulping lives on daily basis.

The meeting was attended by M Saleh Memon - Superintendent Engineer Works & Service Department, Ghulam Shabir Memon - Superintendent Engineer and other government officers, Shaid Ismail, Vice President Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and Hasan Sheikh Vohra - Chairman Ports, Shipping & Multi Modal Transport and others.

During the meeting, the representatives from business community informed that this link road, which connected National Highway to Super Highway/M9 Motorway, was the only route connected to Port Qasim for industries to transport all kind of cargos across the country and its poor infrastructure was severely affecting trade activities.

They further apprised that steel industry transported almost 100% of its raw material through this route. Similarly, other industries like Cement, Power and Textile are also dependent on this single route for the transportation of their import and export of consignments.

Heavy vehicles traveling from the Southern region including Nooriabad S.I.T.E area towards Port Qasim have to go through a bridge which passes through Malir River on this road but as the bridge is not equipped to handle heavy vehicles the traffic is diverted to a steep causeway right next to it. The dangerous steep slope and uneven nature of this causeway has affected the flow of traffic and resulted in regular accidents and road blocks ranging several days in a week.

Therefore, industries from Southern region are suffering from huge losses as transportation, which usually requires four to five hours, has stretched to one to two days due to non-constructed link road.

In addition, the delays in inward and outward movement of cargos at Port Qasim, due to the said reason are also providing severe financial shocks on account of demurrages and detentions to the business fraternity, they maintained.

On the other hand, Superintendent engineer works & service dept, Sindh claimed that out of 18 kilometers of link road, 11 kilometers road were constructed and rest of the seven kilometers would be built during this financial year. He also promised to repair the portion of road of 1KM and the construction of bridges on the road would be done in a month.