KARACHI: Slow pace of work and deeper digging to avoid rupture of an underground water main on the already delayed Karimabad underpass project not only continue to pile miseries on people, but have also caused escalation of the project cost from Rs1.4 billion to Rs3.8bn, it has emerged.

Informed sources told Dawn that the project, which is being executed by the Karachi Development Authority (KDA), was delayed mainly due to tardy release of funds by the provincial government.

Residents also complained about the highly dusty atmosphere in the vicinity due to prolonged construction and digging work which is being carried out with long pauses.

The sources said that another reason behind the delay was deeper digging at a place where a main line of Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation was passing through.

They said that the additional digging work also escalated the cost of the project, which now stood at Rs3.8 billion.

Project may take eight more months to complete if funds released without delay, sources say

They said that another reason behind the inordinate delay was the delayed approval of the Environmental Impact Assessment report that instructed the KDA to promptly address the locals’ grievances and complaints regarding traffic management, storm water drainage, solid waste disposal, relocation of utility lines, community safety and security, and afforestation.

The sources said that the KDA was yet to take concrete measures to address those issues.

The project was initiated in June last year under the supervision of the Karachi Development Authority with the funding of the provincial government and only 30 per cent work on the project has so far been done during the past 17 months, and keeping in view the slow pace of progress in the project, its completion is still a far cry.

Only 300 metres of the 1,080-metre underpass were completed and overall the physical progress of the project was merely 30pc.

However, official sources said that the work on the project was now being carried out round the clock as the funds were released by the provincial government.

They added that the underpass would be completed by Aug 25 if the provincial government released further funds without delay.

Residents, traders irked by delays

The under-construction underpass has been piling miseries on people, especially local population, as the alternative plan was not considered before beginning the construction project.

The affected residents said that the project’s development was proceeding very slowly, causing serious transportation issues for the local population, besides polluting the atmosphere with dust.

The shopkeepers and merchants at the Meena Bazaar at Karimabad have also been suffering in the aftermath of the underpass’s construction as the lack of alternate traffic routes is having a negative impact on local businesses.

The construction of the underpass has also affected women and children who have to go through the area which has no fencing and lighting.

A resident said that it was not easy to use alternative routes due to their narrowness and encroachments. “The traffic remains clogged every time,” he lamented.

Another resident said that manholes in the area were overflowing as the sewerage lines were not relocated.

“The authorities are testing our nerves,” he said and did not rule out the possibility of law and order situation in the area due to crumbling civic infrastructure and constant traffic jams.

Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had also expressed grave displeasure and concern over the minimal progress on the project.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2024