Karachi opens Munawwar Chowrangi underpass to ease traffic flow

KARACHI: The Munawwar Chowrangi underpass was opened to traffic on Sunday, with city and provincial officials saying the new link is expected to reduce congestion and shorten travel time between key commercial and residential areas of Karachi.

Sindh Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah and Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab inaugurated the project at a ceremony attended by elected representatives, senior officials, engineers and residents.

Built by the Karachi Development Authority, the underpass is around 500 metres long and 24 feet wide, allowing two-way traffic. Officials said it was completed in 16 months at an estimated cost of Rs2 billion.

Nasir Shah said the underpass had been opened for commuters, while its formal inauguration would be carried out by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah. He said Karachi's infrastructure upgrade and the resolution of long-standing traffic problems remained among the provincial government's priorities, with several schemes under way across the city.

The minister said funds had been earmarked for the rehabilitation and construction of major roads, while town administrations were carrying out development work in their own jurisdictions. He added that complaints about construction quality were being examined and that no negligence would be tolerated.

Rejecting calls for the creation of a new province, Nasir Shah said Sindh was a unified entity that could not be divided. He also said those portraying Karachi as unlivable were overlooking recent progress, including the completion of multiple flyovers, underpasses and road schemes. He described the removal of illegal marriage halls built on playgrounds as a major achievement that had returned public spaces to citizens.

Wahab said the project had originally been given a 24-month completion timeline but was delivered ahead of schedule because of planning and continuous oversight. He said work on roads, flyovers, underpasses, parks and playgrounds was continuing in different parts of Karachi.

The mayor also said an industrial park would soon be inaugurated by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Referring to a proposed flyover at Disco Bakery Chowrangi, he said the scheme had been put on hold at the request of the relevant town chairman from Jamaat-e-Islami.

Residents welcomed the opening of the underpass and expressed hope that it would improve connectivity and help ease traffic pressure in the surrounding areas.