Public opposes elevated corridor to highway in Karachi — Dawn
In Karachi, Pakistan, representatives of civil society organizations, experts and residents of the Clifton and Defence areas spoke out against the proposed elevated corridor between Karachi Port and the Shahrah-i-Bhutto highway. Participants in a press conference organized by the Karachi Citizens Forum cited risks to residents’ privacy, health, the environment, and increased noise levels in densely populated neighborhoods, Dawn reports.
Project parameters
The planned 16.5-km, four-lane corridor is to connect the East Wharf of Karachi Port with the recently opened Shahrah-i-Bhutto highway and bypass inner-city traffic. Its cost is estimated at 65 billion Pakistani rupees; the project is planned to be implemented under a public-private partnership model. In May, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari took part in the project’s groundbreaking ceremony.
According to Karachi Citizens Forum coordinator Nargis Rahman, the route is to begin at the East and West Wharves and the deep-water South Asia Pakistan Terminals, run through Chinna Creek and Boat Basin. It is then to continue on an elevated structure toward Khayaban-i-Jami, including near Schon Circle, Punjab Chowrangi, Delhi Colony and Altamash Hospital, before reaching Sunset Boulevard in DHA and connecting to Shahrah-i-Bhutto via Korangi Road.
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Objections from residents and experts
Architect Arif Belgaumi said that, in his estimate, about 13,000 heavy vehicles could travel through Clifton and Defence every day. In his view, this would worsen congestion, air pollution and noise exposure in areas with dense residential and office development.
Karachi Urban Lab representative Mohammad Touheed said that the public had not been consulted on such infrastructure decisions. Urban Resource Centre Deputy Director Zahid Farooq also criticized what he described as insufficient notification of residents about public hearings. DHA resident Syed Jamal Makdi expressed concern about the project’s possible impact on mangroves.
Humaira Khan, president of the Clifton Defence Community and Clifton Block 5 Residents Association, questioned the procedure for holding a meeting of the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency on approval of the project. This claim is presented as her statement.
