City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal on Wednesday laid the foundation stones of three projects worth Rs 553.799 million in New Karachi Town. The Works and Services Department of the City District Government Karachi (CDGK) has undertaken the improvement and rehabilitation of Haider Ali Road 4.5 km long road-4000 and Shahra-e-Maulana Zafar Ahmed Ansari long 9000 Road.
Work on a polytechnic institute for girls at sector 11/I is also in progress and is likely to be completed by August 2009, the contractor briefed the city nazim during his visit to the under construction collage. The Haider Ali road, designed by Umer Munshi Associates, would be rehabilitated from 3000 to 9000 road till Saba Cinema Roundabout while Shahra-e-Maulana Zafar Ahmed Ansari would be reconstructed from 2000 to 6000 road.
An estimated cost of the three projects has, however, been fixed at Rs 229.71 million for the Haider Ali road project, Rs 289.37 million for Shahra-e-Maulana project and Rs 94.379 million for the girls' polytechnic institute.
The city nazim directed contractors to ensure a day-night working practice at their respective projects so that the under construction roads could be ready for vehicular traffic before Eid-ul-Azha.
"Enforce all the energies and resources you have I want these roads to be completed before Eid", he said. He said any mistake of whatsoever nature would not be tolerated in construction of the main carriage ways. "No loopholes should be there in the main carriage ways every thing from sewerage system to the carpeting should be up to the mark", the nazim warned the contractors.
When a journalist drew his attention towards daily power outages in the city the Karachi Nazim asked the contractor to install electricity generators in the polytechnic institute to avoid any future losses in terms of time and studies.
When asked why the foundation stone laying ceremonies were held belatedly the nazim said: "Because we have a very different tendency in this regard and this government doesn't believe in making statements or making sky-high claims without doing the work".
"We are laying the foundation stones after completing 40 percent work at the three sites. The people should themselves judge our intentions", Kamal said. Replying to a question on encroachments the city nazim categorically said that: "Any encroachment which would in anyway hamper the ongoing developmental projects across the city would be 100 percent removed".
The city nazim also expressed concern over the Bachat Bazar in New Karachi Town on the main roads. "I would talk with the E&IP (Enterprise and Investment Promotion) department in this regard", he added.