KARACHI - Mayor Wasim Akhtar has said that road network in Karachi needs immediate attention and to this effect KMC has a comprehensive plan to repair, rehabilitate and reconstruct city bridges, flyovers and roads which had been constructed during last 50 years and are now in a dilapidated condition.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the mayor said that the World Bank would be provided with all possible help in its survey and study of such projects so that the basic city infrastructure could be made better.

Following the directives of mayor, senior officers of KMC gave a detailed briefing to the World Bank team comprising environmental municipal engineer Joseph A Gadek, senior social development expert Najm-ul-Sehar and consultant Kabeer Dawani which paid a visit to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Head Office to get the details of the development projects.

KMC officers including director technical to Mayor SM Shakaib, senior director municipal services Nauman Arshad, senior director anti-encroachments Basheer Siddiqui, senior director IT SM Taha, chief engineers of different districts of Karachi and IT Consultant Daniyal Ahmed were also present on this occasion.

The delegation of World Bank was informed that repair and maintenance and extension of different bridges and flyovers would be done with an estimated cost of Rs500 million.

The bridges were constructed over time of fifty years in the city and include the Old Clifton bridge, PIDC bridge, Lily bridge, Natha Khan bridge, Jam Sadiq bridge, Teen Hatti bridge, KCR bridge, Rashid Minhas Road bridge, Jinnah bridge Keamari and different bridges on Orangi, Lyari and Malir river. The KMC has also planned to start the Gujjar Nala bridge extension with a cost of Rs500 million and repair and rehabilitation of Landi Kotal and Cafe Piyala Bridge costing Rs500 million.

The signalisation of Tahir Vila Roundabout at Nazimabad and repairing of adjacent roads will be done with the cost of Rs 200 million and the extension of Allama Shabbir Ahmed Usmani Road and construction of flyover at the Maskan Chowrangi would cost Rs1880 million and the construction of storm water drain at the Qalandaria Chowk in Nusrat Bhutto Colony costing Rs100 million.

 and all these projects have the completion period from 6 months to 18 months.

These projects were aimed at solving the problems faced by the citizens and to improve the city road infrastructure.

The World Bank team reviewed all these projects for which survey work will begin soon.

The delegation also paid a visit to the CCIS 1339 in the KMC Head Office.