20th April 2012
The Phase-I of the Mehran Highway, being an alternative motor route for the Export Processing Zone Authority (EPZA) and Landhi and Bin Qasim Industrial areas along with the National Highway, was inaugurated jointly by Sindh Governor Dr Ishrat Ul Ebad Khan and Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah.
The recently completed Phase-I of the Mehran Highway has been built from the Export Processing Zone Authority to the Machine Tool Factory in Landhi, built almost parallel to the National Highway. The 3.7 kilometer-long phase-1 of the highway project had been completed at a cost of Rs300 million.
The second phase of the under-construction thoroughfares that would include the construction of five kilometers portion of the Mehran Highway would be completed with the cooperation of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) at a the cost of Rs450 million.
The third phase of the highway project that would include the construction of two kilometers-portion of road connecting to Pakistan Steel would be carried out in the next four months.
On the occasion of inaugural ceremony, Sindh Governor Dr Ishrat ul Ebad Khan said that with the construction of Mehran Highway, an alternative road would be available for citizens and this new highway would prove quite helpful for the Landhi Industrial area, Export Processing Zone, and foreign industries based in the area.
The Sindh governor said that this project was initiated under the Annual Development Program (ADP) of the Sindh government and the Japanese Agency JICA had provided full cooperation to the government authorities in construction of the highway. He said that the remaining eight kilometer-long portion of the highway would also be completed in the next two months with the help of the Japan government.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah said that the first phase of Mehran Highway was completed at a cost of Rs300 million which would facilitate the industrialists and business community in the region.
He said that the construction of this highway was done with a lot of hard work and dedication. The law and order condition in the area concerning the highway had been very poor and resultantly the people had been facing hardships and problems in their mobility. Now the industrial area concerned would witness progress and development with the availability of this new highway, said Qaim Ali Shah.
The Sindh chief minister said that completion of such development projects had been the manifestation of material progress and modernization of infrastructure carried out in Karachi under the guidance and support of the present coalition government partners. The Acting Japanese Consul-General in Karachi in his speech on the occasion expressed hope that this new motor corridor would prove useful for industrial activities in the area and the Japanese government would provide financial support for construction of Phase-II of this project.
