KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed Inspector General of Police to make necessary arrangement for smooth flow of traffic because work on Rs12 billion Karachi Package Phase-II has been started on war footings and it is bound to cause inconvenience to the citizen of Karachi. This he said while talking to Karachi administration during his visit to the newly launched schemes under Karachi package phase-II on Sunday morning. He was accompanied by Minister Local Government Jam Khan Shoro, all senior officers concerned and divisional administration of Karachi. The chief minister started his visit from Cantt Railway Station where all approaching roads leading the station are being constructed for Rs240 million. The work has been started and necessary machinery has also been mobilized. At Electronic Market, Saddar, the chief minister after seeing heaps of trash and filth on the road by shopkeepers directed the commissioner to talk to the association of Electronic Market to stop this unhealthy practice, and take strict action otherwise. “We are working day and night to clean the city but shopkeepers despite having dustbins of solid waste management at their shops are throwing their trash on roads,” he said, and added this was unacceptable. The chief minister stopped at Anklesraia Hospital where construction of a road from Fawara Chowk to Garden via Abdullah Haroon Road and back to Fawara Chowk via Zaibunisa Market has been kicked off. The PD Karachi Package Niaz Soomro and his deputy Engineer Khalid Mansoor briefed the chief minister about the work. The chief minister directed them to expedite work. “This is most important road and usually remains jam at peak hour, therefore, its construction with best quality must be made before time,” he said. The chief minister also drove from Garden via MA Jinnah Road to Tipu Sultan Road where two different schemes were in progress. The schemes include reconstruction of Tipu Sultan and Khalid Bin Waleed Intersection at Shaheed-e-Millat Road for Rs 239.993 million and construction of a bridge on Tipu Sultan and Khalid Bin Waleed Road Intersection on Shaheed-e-Miullat Road for Rs 515.180 million. It may be noted that while going to Shahid-e-Millat Road the chief minister made a stop on Khalid Bin Waleed Road when he saw the vehicles of showrooms parked on footpaths. Expressing his serious displeasure and anguish Murad Ali Shah directed the commissioner either to remove the encroachment/vehicle from the footpaths or bulldoze the footpaths. “It pedestrians cannot use footpath then there is no need of such facility,” he said in displeasure. From Rashid Minhas Road the chief minister went to Safoora Chowrangi via University Road where construction of a road and a drain was in progress. Talking to the media at the Safoora Chowarngi, the chief minister said he was trying to get complete all development schemes being carried out in the city. “I have the realization that almost all major roads of the city are dug up due to reconstruct work and this has caused serious hardship to the citizens,” he said and added this hardship would hardly remain for next 6 to 8 months. Published in Daily Times, January 1st 2018.