CM reviews plan to build bridge for Korangi industrial area.

KARACHI -- Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday said a proposal for the construction of a new four-lane one-kilometer-long bridge, adjacent to the existing Jam Sadiq Bridge, was being worked out and its tender documents had been forwarded to the World Bank (WB) for approval.

Briefing a 13-member WB delegation at the CM House on the progress of Yellow Line project, he said consultants of the project had recommended full-scale rehabilitation of Jam Sadiq Bridge that would cost around $5.3 million.

In the previous meeting, the provincial government and WB had agreed to repair Jam Sadiq Bridge that has spent its life and is in a state of dilapidation. It was also agreed to construct an alternative of the bridge to cater the mass transit requirements.

Connecting over 4,500 Korangi industrial units with the city, the main bridge was built during the tenure of former CM Jam Sadiq Ali in 1991. Now it is in a dilapidated condition as a large number of heavy trailers, trucks and other vehicles ply on it.

Based on the World Bank meeting and project steering committee's directives, Mr Shah said that a detailed field survey was carried out on all the off-corridor routes, and the provincial government's team reviewed road and drainage conditions on those routes in comparison with the local government department and DMC Korangi to avoid duplicity in the scope of works.

Rs5,000 per acre subsidy for growers

The CM in his meeting with the World Bank also decided to provide a Rs5,000 per acre subsidy to the growers for seed and fertilizer for Rabi crop.

The bank agreed to provide subsidies to the growers holding up to 25 acres of land.

He said the assignment account of the Sindh Flood Emergency Rehabilitation Project had been opened and he had released Rs5.77 billion as the first tranche. 'This is a $101.35 million or Rs23,109.54 million project that...