Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab stated that the Karimabad underpass project, slated for completion by September 30, 2025, may face delays if the city experiences heavy rainfall.
Speaking to the media, Wahab said the project had faced two key challenges. “One issue was the possibility of heavy rainfall, which could potentially delay work. The second involved a gas pipeline that runs through the construction site. We prefer that the pipeline be replaced by Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) rather than undertaking the task ourselves,” he explained.
He added that minor delays of four to six days may occur due to the gas line replacement, but reaffirmed his commitment to the September 30 deadline. “Even if there is a slight delay, it would be limited to a week to ten days at most,” he said.
The mayor emphasized that funding for the project is fully secured and that he is personally monitoring the progress, meeting officials regularly to ensure timely delivery.
“InshaAllah, this long-standing issue for the residents of Karimabad and Meena Bazaar is finally being resolved soon,” Wahab said.
The Karimabad underpass project, launched by Caretaker Chief Minister (CM) Maqbool Baqar in June 2023 under the supervision of the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) with the funding of the Sindh Government, was supposed to be completed in 24 months.
However, the project faces significant delays due to slow funding of the provincial government to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC).
The project, which was initially approved under the budget of Rs 1.35 billion, saw a significant jump as the cost surged by Rs 2.1 billion due to additional digging work and reached Rs 3.8 billion.
The local media further reported that digging deep into the main line of Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) caused further delays in the project timeline.
A news report published after 1.5 years of project initiation disclosed that only 20 percent of the work has been completed thus far, even though at least 50 percent should have been finished in the same time period.
