An agreement for the construction of Pakistan''s first-ever elevated expressway in Karachi was signed here on Wednesday. The 24-km long elevated expressway will run from Quaidabad to Jinnah Bridge, alongside the Sharea Faisal.
The 24-meter wide expressway will be constructed by a Malaysian company at a cost of 225 million dollars and will be completed in three years.
The agreement was signed at an impressive ceremony by Nazim Karachi Syed Mustafa Kamal on behalf of City District Government Karachi and Dato Goh Chye Koon of IJM Corporation Berhad, Malaysia at a local hotel.
The signing ceremony was also witnessed by Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan. City Naib Nazim Nasreen Jalil and DCO Karachi Fazlur Rehman were also present.
Speaking on the occasion City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal described the occasion a great moment for Karachi and Pakistan. He said the City Government had been working on this project for the last four months; and ultimately the IJM got this contract.
"We did not sign Memorandum of Understanding but the agreement and, therefore, the work on this project will be construed to have started from today and will be completed in 3 years and may be even before", Mustafa Kamal said.
City Nazim said this elevated expressway will serve as Southern Bypass and besides providing exits at many points, it will also have link with the airport.
He said the idea for an elevated expressway was conceived in view of Sharea Faisal becoming highly congested for traffic and causing great inconvenience for patients who would stuck up in traffic jams.
"We are committed to resolve the problems of common man and this project is a practical approach towards this end".
He pointed out that Karachi is a fast emerging regional market and it is being developed under public-private partnership.
He said the elevated expressway will have six inter-changes at Quaidabad inter-section, Star Gate, HIR Road, Shahrah-e-Quaideen, Hotel Metropole and Jinnah Bridge.
Under Phase-II, he informed, the IJM Corporation will be entitled to levy, demand and collect an appropriate fee from vehicles and persons using the expressway for 15 years.
He said the CDGK will hand over physical possession of the site within 60 days together with necessary right of way/way leaves for implementation of Phase-I.
This expressway, Mustafa Kamal pointed out, will bring revolution in the communication and economic sectors as it will provide links to Pakistan Steels Port Qasim and Karachi Port besides Airport and will prove an expressway for Pakistan''s economic growth. He said that for the past 4 months the City Government had been working day and night on conceiving development projects with focus on water and sewerage lines and gave Rs 50 million to each of 18 Towns of the City for the purpose.
He said it is the first city government to start mechanical sweeping in the city for which automatic machines were imported for wash and sweeping of roads.
Earlier Dato Goh Chye Koon of IJM Corporation welcomed the City Nazim and said Wednesday''s signing of agreement will mark a new history for City of Karachi.
He thanked him for giving IJM an opportunity to construct this elevated expressway which will prove to be a part of the efforts being made for making Karachi world''s most modern city.
He said it will help overcome the city''s growing traffic problems, particularly in the city''s business centres.
He described the construction of expressway a progressive move of the City Government.
Later City Nazim Mustafa Kamal and Dato Chye Koon signed the agreement.
The ceremony was attended among others, by EDOs Works and Services, Finance, Master Plan, Investment Promotion, Building Control Authority besides Town Nazims and officials of City District Government Karachi.