Uncertainty hangs over project

KARACHI - The allocation of 100 acres of land in Deh Bijar Bitte to set up the second intercity bus terminal on Super Highway, one of the most important projects for traffic management in the city, could not be initiated so far, for one reason or another, TheNation has learnt. It is to be noted that after massive encroachment on the land, reserved for intercity bus terminal on Super Highway in super Bitti Amri, in the past, the incumbent PPP government when came to power, allocated afresh a plot of land measuring 100 acres in Deh Bijar Bitte, to establish the intercity bus terminal to manage the worst traffic mess in the city. The location of the new land is ideal for setting up the intercity bus terminal, in a sense, that it is located at the junction of Super Highway and Northern Bypass and close to the Toll Plaza. All heavy vehicles that come from Karachi port usually take Northern Bypass for going up country, making the proposed intercity bus terminal suitable for the traffic flow towards three provinces and even for Baluchistan bound-bus. But when the land was allocated an issue raised wherein commercial rate was demanded for the purchase of the land. However, the CDGK objected to commercial rates with a view that the proposed intercity bus terminal was a public-welfare oriented proj-ect. Communications continued between the Sindh Board of Revenue and the city government to resolve the issue in the meantime an important political and influential figure of the ruling party spotted the place and desired to capture the land for commercial purposes and deployed his own persons to guard the land, informed sources revealed. It will be a great national loss if the project to construct intercity bus terminal is dropped for the second time due to occupation of the land. All proceedings have been stopped regarding the development of the bus terminal since these two issues have surfaced. The sources in the CDGK said that after losing the land in Deh Bitti Amri, for the proposed intercity bus terminal, the allocation of land for the purpose in Deh Bitti Amri was more than a gift from the Sindh government for the citizens of Karachi to mitigate their sufferings, caused by the movement of heavy traffic inside the metropolis. The sitting up of the proposed intercity bus terminal on Super Highway will help restrict the movement of more than 1,200 intercity buses downtown city, ending hassle of traffic mess for the citizens. In 1995, a piece of land, comprising 45 acres, in Deh Bitti Amri, had been allocated to the defunct Karachi Development Authority (KDA) for the development of the intercity bus terminal on Super Highway, to restrict the movement of intercity buses that come from across the country and enter Karachi city through Sohrab Goth, causing traffic hazards and bottlenecks and involve in fatal road accidents. But that land was occupied by encroachers and now the new proposed site in Deh Bijar Bitti also apparently seems fasting falling victim to the occupation mafia. The PPP-led government must take notice of the wrongdoings and take a bold step to wipe out the rumours as well as encroachments that have caused inordinate delay in the initiation of construction work on the intercity bus terminal. It is to be noted that the CDGK had planned developing three intercity bus terminals, on all the three important highways in the city, first one on Super Highway, second one in Yousuf Goth for Baluchistan bound-buses and third terminal was to be developed on the National High way. But only one bus terminal in Yousuf Goth could be established so far while the fate of the other two have been hanging in the balance for the past several years.