University Road: Sindh government to spend Rs 294 million on reconstruction

Karach: Sindh government will spend around Rs 294 million on rehabilitation and reconstruction of the University Road while the project would be completed in six months.

The development took place after the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) refused to provide the much needed funds of Rs 312 million, which it had pledged under Tameer-e-Karachi Programme (TKP) on bridge-financing basis, sources in Works and Services Department of the City District Government Karachi (CDGK) told Business Recorder on Wednesday.

The PIA, after paying the first instalment of Rs 18 million, had refused to pay the remaining amount, which accounts for Rs 294 million, saying that the national flag-career was already facing a huge deficit, they added.

'Sindh government is now financing the project with the remaining amount of Rs 294 million investment', sources said. One track of the road has recently been opened for the public transport and the project would take at least six months to be completed.

It may be recalled that rehabilitation and reconstruction of the most-awaited project was initiated in August 2005 which has been a permanent source of inconvenience to public transport in general and students and teachers of the Islamia Collage and Dawood University of Engineering and Technology in particular.

To avoid traffic problems and inconvenience to the commuters the city government had devised a 'sub-phases' based strategy to complete the belatedly started project, according to which the CDGK was to reconstruct the 1,500 metres road from the People's Chowrangi to Jail Chowrangi in the first sub-phase.

While the reconstruction work from Jail Chowrangi to New Town and New Town to Hassan Squire will be undertaken in the second and third phases respectively.

In the second phase, as per amendment, the road would be reconstructed from Hassan Squire to the Super Highway and for this purpose the funds would be provided by the federal government. The city government had set a 24-month target for completion of the project.