Developer says harbour front project to generate direct, indirect employment and attract six to seven thousand people daily from across the country
Thursday, February 18, 2010
By Hina Mahgul Rind
KARACHI: The much-awaited Port Grand food street and entertainment enclave facing Karachi harbour along side the Native Jetty Bridge is now in its finishing stage and would be inaugurated on 23rd March, said Shahid Firoz, CEO & Director Grand Leisure Corporation.
Shahid Firoz shares the ups and downs faced in making major and significant recreational projects for the city like Karachi where for around 18 million citizens there are not much recreational places.
Once operational, this project would provide direct employment to around 1,000 persons and indirectly to several thousands as there will be around 100 concepts for food and entertainment and Port Grand is expected to attract around six to seven thousand people daily from across the country, he added.
The project has cost Rs1 billion so far as various changes were done in the initial construction design because of various issues such as underground KWSB and KESC networks which could not be moved from the location and almost rebuilding the entire Napier Mole Bridge as it was not in a position to hold and support the weight and would have collapsed. These and other issues delayed the project.
To convert the Napier Mole Bridge, which was turning into a slum in a recreational area for the citizens of Karachi was the idea of Shahid Firoz. “In 1996 when I discussed this with the then Chairman KPT and the then Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto to develop a recreational area on this location both of them were very excited about the project.”
But at that time the idea was only for food eateries and that time only gazebo type shades were built to start a food street but even that couldn’t be started as the then KPT Chairman died and the Benazir government was dismissed so was the project and meanwhile the whole area turned into a slum and it became the safe haven of drug addicts.
In 2004 when KPT advertised for the project the Grand Leisure Corporation got the bid for the project.
The Grand Port project was conceived by Grand Leisure Corporation and supported by Karachi Port Trust (KPT). With an investment of Rs1 billion by Grand Leisure Corporation, the Port Grand is being built on land leased by KPT to Grand Leisure Corporation initially for 21 years on build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis and it is expected the lease will be increased as talks are under way with KPT. GLC’s scope of work includes financing, construction, maintenance and operation of all aspects pertaining to the Port Grand.
Port Grand is located on Napier Mole Bridge a site that is very significant to the history of Karachi and has played a crucial role in making it the city it is today. The project stretches along 1,000 ft of Karachi’s ancient 19th century Native Jetty Bridge and spreads over an area of 200,000 sq. ft.
The one kilometre bridge has been transformed into an entertainment and food enclave housing numerous eateries totaling 40,000 sq. ft of climate-controlled area and space for kiosks of exotic Pakistani and foreign food and a variety of beverages.
He added that for a city of around 18 million citizens there are not much recreational places where citizens could find some peace and comfort as well as the entertainment, which is necessary to enable us to continue with our lives.
This project has been designed and developed by leading US architects, NEWWORK of New Jersey.
Firoz added that special initiatives were taken to use environment friendly building processes and materials and ensure heavy plantation and integrated green landscape. Public restrooms have been given special attention to ensure most comfortable and pristine experience in the city.
This project will revive the culture and traditions of old Karachi as well as celebrate it as the City of Lights. It would surely revive the harbour culture, i.e. seafood, boating around the mangroves, pedestrian friendly harbour front experience etc.
To get to the Port Grand from anywhere in the city, Port Grand is a straight shot west out of Mai Kolachi, adjacent to the PNSC Building as the road curves into the facility on the right.
