Staff Reporter
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, approved of the construction of Korangi Causeway bridge and a part of Metropole Hotel’s land on Wednesday.
The CM took this decision while presiding over a high-level meeting attended by Minister Local Government Nasir Shah, CM Advisor Murtaza Wahab, Chairperson P&D Nahid Shah, PSCM Sajid Jamal Abro, Special Secretary LG Niaz Soomro and experts of Planning and Development and other departments.
The chief minister said that the land of Metropole Hotel was located in the center of four most important and busy roads where traffic volume remains considerably high round the clock.
“Construction of any high rise building on the land of the [Metropole] hotel would cause further congestion of the traffic in the area and would create serious environmental issues,” he said. Murad said that he wants to acquire the land of Metropole Hotel where he has been planning to construct a park designated only to children and elderly people.
“The construction of the park would be best for environment of the city which was getting more and more polluted day by day,” he said, adding that all the projects would be developed keeping in view the environmental conditions of the city, capacity of the roads and sewerage system and provision of other facilities.
The chief minister pointed out that the left turning of road from Metropole towards Clifton also remains blocked because the traffic going towards Club Road stops at signal and blocks the entire turning causing heavy traffic jam. Therefore, he said that a portion of Sindh Club on the corner may also be acquired for widening of the left turning of the road.
The chief minister directed Commissioner Karachi to talk to the owners of the Metropole Hotel and the Sindh Club management for acquiring their lands and reporting to him within 10 days.
CM Murad said that there was a dire need of two underpasses, one at Abdullah Haroon Road at Metropole Hotel signal to make the traffic coming from Clifton for Saddar signal-free. Another underpass, Murad added, may be constructed at Avari Hotel towards Fatima Jinnah Road to give signal-free passage to the traffic of Saddar towards Cantt station.
The chief minister directed Chairperson P&D Nahid Shah to prepare estimates and proposals for both the underpasses and submit to him for further action.
He said that he was also considering construction of an underpass at Club Road towards Sultanabad to get the traffic between both the hotels signal-free.
The Chief Minister said that destruction of Korangi Causeway by hill torrential deluge has created serious problems for the people of Korangi. The alternate route being used by the people of Korangi was passing through industrial area where traffic jam was a routine matter.
He said that he wanted to construct a bridge on the causeway so that flow of traffic and movement of the people could be easy and hassle free.
Murad worked out the map of the area and decided to prepare a detailed plan after adopting engineering solutions.
The chief minister was told that the Yellow Line project has also suggested construction of a flyover from Baloch Colony bridge to Korangi which would also cover the causeway.
For the purpose, CM Murad directed P&D department to collaborate with Yellow Line project and said that he would construct a bridge on the causeway. “I would prepare its sketch keeping in view all the traffic requirements of the area and hand over to the P&D for moving forward through their experts,” he said.
