Funds not released by federal government: Signal-Free Corridor-III

KARACHI: The City District Government Karachi (CDGK) is facing a tremendous financial crisis due to which the work on several ongoing development schemes, including the Signal-Free Corridor-III project is pending.

The Corridor-III project is scheduled to be operational by the end of April 2009 while funds worth Rs 1,200 million have yet to be released by the federal government for this purpose.

According to sources in the CDGK Finance Department, the federal government had assured the CDGK that the funds will be released in the last week of December 2008, however the amount has not been released yet. The Corridor-III project’s total cost is Rs 1,690 million.

Sources privy to the matter told Daily Times that the CDGK is looking forward to the release of funds worth Rs 1,200 million, while the remaining amount would be arranged from the CDGK’s internal resources.

The Corridor-III is of pivotal importance as the main arteries of city that link remote areas to MA Jinnah Road and lead to Merewether Tower have been highly congested and traffic impediments cause losses of millions of rupees in a month. The traffic congestion at the Tibet Centre, Saddar Dawa Khana and Jail Chowrangi has also depleted the city’s environment. It is estimated that more than two million citizens would benefit from the completion of the corridor and according to experts on environment and public health, the project would cause salient decline in air pollution, while also causing a decline in mental irritation and other psychological ailments among citizens.

The project will play a key role in decreasing the traffic flow on MA Jinnah Road and millions of citizens would be relieved of tension. This project would serve to eliminate smoke pollution and thus the environment will also improve.

The project design covers area starting from Saddar Dawa Khana near Empress Market in Saddar Town to the end of Safoora Goth. The corridor would start from Saddar Dawa Khana to Preedy Street, Quaid’s tomb, new MA Jinnah Road, Jail Chowrangi, NIPA, Abul Hassan Esphahani Road, Gulistan-e-Jauhar to Safoora Goth.

The corridor would be signal free and will have a U-turn from the right side of Abul Hassan Esphahani Road.

The CDGK has already completed a detailed survey and almost all relevant technical assignments have been given a final touch so that the work may be started at once and be completed by mid April.

The CDGK has also planned to shift around 1,350 families from Lines Area. Each of the affected families would be allotted an 80-square yard plot of land alongwith Rs 50,000 for prompt rehabilitation.

Talking to Daily Times, City Nazim Mustafa Kamal said that the corridor is the third and most important project by the Haq Parast leadership for the people of the city within just three years. This project would serve the people, irrespective of their political or ethnic affiliation. “It is my dream to change the entire city and to make the people own the city and feel proud to be Karachiites,” commented Kamal.