By Moin Ullah Shah
KARACHI: Karachi’s civic authorities have completed a citywide survey and finalised comprehensive plans to repair and restore more than 550 deteriorating roads, as officials seek to improve traffic flow, public safety and urban appearance through coordinated action among multiple agencies.
The decisions were taken at a meeting chaired by Karachi commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi, where ongoing and proposed infrastructure projects were reviewed. Under the plan, 106 major roads under the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) will be repaired, while 453 internal roads falling within the jurisdiction of town administrations will be restored.
Officials told the meeting that most of the required PC-1 documents for the projects had already been prepared. For schemes where documentation is still pending, it was decided that PC-1s would be completed within the next two days to avoid delays in execution.
The meeting also reviewed the condition of traffic signals on II Chundrigar Road and Maripur Road, and agreed to prepare separate plans for the beautification of II Chundrigar Road and the improvement of Maripur Road, both of which are key commercial and industrial arteries of the city.
Senior officials briefed the commissioner that the repair work would be carried out with integrated planning and close coordination among all concerned agencies to prevent duplication and disruption.
Those in attendance included transport secretary Asad Zaman, special secretary for local government, housing and town planning Muhammad Ali Shah, Trans-Karachi CEO Fuad Ghaffar Soomro, KWSSIP project director Ayesha Hameed, Karachi Mobility Project director Zamir Abbasi, the managing director of the Sindh Mass Transit Authority, along with senior officials from the KMC, KDA, Red Line and Yellow Line projects, and deputy commissioners.
The meeting was told that, district-wise, 138 roads will be repaired in District East, 50 in District Central, 27 in District South, 15 in Korangi, 93 in Malir, and 27 in District Kemari.
Progress on the Red Line and Yellow Line mass transit projects was also reviewed. Officials said diversion work on University Road opposite Urdu College would be completed as soon as possible. Planning for the diversion has been finalised in line with directives from Sindh chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, and includes the construction of 2.7 kilometres of road, for which a proposal has been submitted to the government for approval.
On traffic management, the transport department, acting on recommendations from the DIG Traffic and directions from the commissioner, will upgrade 45 existing traffic signals and install 31 new ones across the city.
The commissioner stressed that all projects must be implemented efficiently and in coordination, so that Karachi’s long-delayed road repairs and traffic improvements deliver visible relief to residents without unnecessary overlap or disruption.
