KMC clears 600-metre-long section of Karachi’s Gujjar nullah
450 concrete structures demolished so far
SAMAA |
Web desk - Posted: Feb 24, 2021 | Last Updated: 11 hours ago
Photo: SAMAA Digital
The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and the Central district administration have cleared 600-metre area on either side of the Gujjar nullah.
They have razed 450 concrete structures along the drain so far. The operation to clear the stormwater drain started February 18.
Encroachments have been removed from the zero point at Nala Stop in New Karachi to Bismillah Bridge.
The demolition process is based on the technical study of NED University’s Department of Urban & Infrastructure Engineering. KMC officials are razing marked structures on both sides of the drain.
These structures were marked by the KMC Katchi Abadis Department and the district administration.
“The KMC removed concrete structures from 10% to 100% as per the marking on both sides of Gujjar nullah,” Senior KMC Director Bashir Siddiqui said.
Mazhar Khan, the KMC Katchi Abadis senior director, said they had decided to continue the operation from one bridge to another. There are multiple bridges on the drain that provide a way for pedestrians to cross it.
“The teams will start operation from Bismillah Bridge to Fatima Bridge from Thursday,” Khan told SAMAA Digital. The KMC is using both heavy machinery and manual labour to dismantle these illegal structures.
As per the survey, around 4,000 concrete structures are to be demolished on both sides of the drain to ensure a smooth flow of rainwater.
The KMC has yet to raze 3,550 structures to completely clear the banks of Gujjar nullah.
It started removing encroachments from stormwater drains in the first week of January. The KMC has already cleared the 8km long Mehmoodabad nullah.
Anti-encroachment operations in other parts of the city
The KMC conducted on Wednesday anti-encroachment operations in the East and South districts as well.
KMC staffers removed shutters, grills, cabins, puncture shops and pushcarts from service roads, footpaths and roads in the East district. They demolished portions of shops exceeding their limits too.
The operations were conducted on Abul Hassan Isphani Road, Khatam-e-Nabuwwat Chowk in Gulzar-e-Hijri and Ahsanabad.
In District South, KMC teams removed encroachments from Raja Ghazanfar Ali Road and Dawood Pota Road.
https://www.samaa.tv/news/pakistan/...metre-long-section-of-karachis-gujjar-nullah/