The Chief Minister of Sindh has directed K-Electric to immediately transfer its utility lines to speed up the completion of the Karimabad Underpass project, started back in 2023.
A monitoring and evaluation team from the Planning & Development (P&D) Department recently visited the site to inspect progress and assess construction standards, a spokesperson for the Chief Minister said.
Officials noted that delays in the underpass project were primarily caused by K-Electric’s utility lines. In response, the Chief Minister ordered the power company to complete the shifting without further delay.
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He also instructed relevant officials to maintain regular coordination with K-Electric to ensure smooth execution.
“The transfer of utility lines should be completed by the first week of February 2026,” the Chief Minister said, adding that the underpass project must be fully completed by March 2026.
The project was initially estimated to cost Rs 1.34 billion under the original PC-1 (Project Cost-1). However, rising construction material prices increased the revised cost to Rs 3.46 billion, which has since been approved by the Sindh Government.
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It is worth noting here that 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 Government of Sindh, was supposed to be completed in 24 months – June 2025.
However, the project faces significant delays due to slow funding of the provincial government to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), as reported by Dawn News.
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, as per Dawn News reports.
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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.
Authorities said the project will significantly improve traffic flow in the Karimabad area once completed and urged all stakeholders to ensure timely execution.
