Munawar Chowrangi underpass in Gulistan-e-Jauhar opens to traffic

The newly constructed Munawar Chowrangi underpass in Karachi's Gulistan-e-Jauhar has been opened to traffic.

Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah and Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab inaugurated the project.

According to officials, the underpass is 500 metres long and has a 24-foot-wide dual carriageway. The project was completed by the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) in 16 months at a cost of Rs2 billion.

Speaking at the ceremony, Nasir Hussain Shah said the underpass had been opened for public use, while its formal inauguration would be carried out later by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.

He said funds had been allocated for road infrastructure projects across the city, adding that although all town chairmen were working on development schemes, complaints regarding delays in some areas were being investigated.

The minister also rejected calls for creating a separate province, saying Sindh could never be divided. He defended the provincial government's performance, saying several underpasses and bridges had been built in Karachi and that marriage halls constructed on public playgrounds had been removed under the current city administration.

Responding to criticism about Karachi's infrastructure, Shah said the city's continued population growth showed that people still chose to live there despite such claims.