Banaras flyover nearing completion, would be open for traffic in Mar: City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal

December 21, 2010
By Irfan Aligi

KARACHI: The ongoing construction work on Banaras Flyover is nearing completion on a fast track basis as 80 percent of the construction work has been completed. The flyover is the only one in the history of the city that has been delayed due to changes in its design for two times, one for the increase in total span of the bridge while the other was to save hundreds of shops, hotels and residential premises.

The overhead heavy transmission lines were also a major impediment, which the City District Government Karachi (CDGK) has recently resolved after reaching a modus operandi and expenses’ share with the Karachi Electric Supply Company as the KESC was demanding Rs 100 million to meet the shifting of poles and cables from the venue.

The flyover was stretched for further 1.25-km in length. Henceforth, these changes in the designs and subsequent delay in completion of the flyover has also caused a hefty increase of development expenditures from Rs 370 million to Rs 1.10 billion.

The CDGK under drastic financial deficit has to bear 50 percent of total expenditures while the Sindh government is the counter shareholder for the remaining 50 percent expenses. However, CDGK and KESC had agreed to an amount that would not exceed Rs 20 million.

The delay was also enhanced due to lesser releases of funds by the Sindh government on quarterly schedule of releases and the delay has caused around 2 million people to suffer in different aspects such as traffic gridlocks, narrow muddy passage for constantly heavy traffic round the clock, dust storm and elongation of travel time with jolts and shovels.

In this regard, City nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal visited the site of construction as he has been frequently visiting the construction site of Banaras Flyover caused triggering the pace of ongoing construction work.

On Thursday, he again visited the construction site of the flyover after he had inaugurated the Afza Altaf children park in Orangi Town on Thursday.

While talking to media persons, city nazim claimed that the flyover total cost of construction would come to Rs1.4 billion and it would be open for the traffic by Mar 2010.

He added that the flyover would cater to millions of people while Orangi Town and other areas in the vicinity would get connected to main city routes because the flyover would also cause a vivid decline in traveling problems including passage of time.

He also announced that CDGK would establish an institute of heart diseases in Orangi Town and another bulk water supply line would be installed besides that CDGK has already completed a water project for the Orangi Town for supply of 5-million gallon of water per day.

In reply to a question, city nazim said that the National Highway Authority had initiated the construction of a link road connecting Orangi Town to North Nazimabad via Shahra-e Noor Jehan but they had left the project halfway. This had caused CDGK to spend Rs 40 million to complete the project.