Sindh govt to audit Karachi towns over road cutting expenditure

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has ordered an inquiry into the massive spending on road cutting across Karachi, ARY News reported.

According to official documents, Sui Southern Gas Company paid Rs 13.43 billion to 20 towns in Karachi for road cutting work.

The documents reveal that the Town Municipal Corporation of New Karachi received Rs 3.55 billion for road cutting, while North Nazimabad got Rs 2.35 billion.

Lyari Town received Rs 1.02 billion, Jinnah Town Rs 730 million, and Malir Town Rs 620 million. Other towns, including Chanesar, Saddar, Landhi, Shah Faisal, Orangi, Baldia, and Korangi, also received funds ranging from millions to crores of rupees.

When the Sindh Chief Minister questioned the matter, officials claimed that most of the roads had been repaired. However, no roads built by the towns were visible on the ground.

Murad Ali Shah made it clear that the towns will have to construct roads using the funds and will not be allowed to misuse the money.

The Sindh government stated that nearly Rs 14 billion had been given for road cutting in Karachi and assured strict action to ensure proper use of funds.

Also Read: Karachi rain exposes fragile city infrastructure

Earlier, the impact of Monday’s Karachi rain disrupted daily life as key roads and underpasses remained damaged and unusable.

In Liaquatabad, a newly constructed road collapsed due to the Karachi rain, while large potholes appeared on the stretch from Liaquatabad Post Office to Sindhi Hotel.

Restoration work on the road from the Post Office to Teen Hatti has not yet begun, leaving commuters in distress.

In Nazimabad, water could not be drained from the main underpass, while both tracks of the underpass near Sir Syed College are still unusable.

Meanwhile, the Karachi rain also turned Nipa Chowrangi into a pond-like situation, making traffic movement nearly impossible.

Citizens traveling from Safora to Hasan Square faced severe difficulties, as sanitation workers sitting nearby showed no willingness to clean up.

The rain in Karachi has once again exposed the fragile state of the city’s infrastructure and the lack of timely response from authorities.