KARACHI:Sindh Minister for Local Government, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, conducted a detailed emergency visit to various areas of the city on Wednesday and reviewed ongoing development and repair works, condition of roads and situation arising after the recent rains.
The provincial minister, accompanied by Special Assistant to the Chief Minister Sindh Najmi Alam and relevant officials, visited major roads of the city, including Malir Halt, Malir Cantt Road, University Road, Kashmir Road, Tariq Road, and Jinnah Avenue to inspect the progress, quality, and pace of ongoing development projects at various locations, said a statement issued here.
The DG KDA and other officials briefed about ongoing mega projects, road construction and repair, improvement of the drainage system, and the construction of the Malir Halt underpass and stated that the projects were at different stages and work at some locations has been further accelerated to provide relief to citizens.
The minister stated that Karachi is the economic hub of the country and improving its infrastructure is the government’s top priority. He said that all available resources are being utilized to provide better transportation facilities, safe roads, and an effective drainage system for citizens.
The LG minister, during the visit, expressed displeasure over the slow pace of work at certain locations and issued on-the-spot deadlines, warning that failure to complete work within the stipulated time would result in action against those responsible.
Transparency, quality, and timely completion must be ensured in all development projects, and coordination among relevant institutions should be strengthened, he emphasized and warned that any negligence, slow pace, or delay will not be tolerated, and strict action will be taken against responsible officers.
The minister, taking strict notice of incidents of road subsidence on Jinnah Avenue and Tariq Road, personally inspected the affected sites. He was briefed that the roads were damaged due to delayed drainage of rainwater and weak underground infrastructure. However, emergency repair work has been initiated.
Nasir Shah directed the officers concerned to ensure immediate rehabilitation of the affected roads and to adopt a comprehensive strategy to prevent such incidents in the future. Modern engineering standards must be followed to provide a permanent solution and sustainable and long-term planning should be adopted to eliminate the recurring issue of road damage, he stressed, adding that immediate measures should be taken to improve the drainage system and work on alternative routes for rainwater disposal should be accelerated.
Nasir Shah also directed the relevant authorities to activate helplines for addressing public complaints and to further strengthen field monitoring systems so that any shortcomings in development work could be immediately identified.
He concluded by stating that practical measures for resolving Karachi’s issues will continue and citizens will soon experience improvement.