Sindh govt to open Shahrah-e-Bhutto this month

KARACHI: The Sindh government plans to open the Shahrah-e-Bhutto expressway later this month, a move that will help ease Karachi’s worsening traffic congestion and improve connectivity with the M-9 motorway.

Senior Sindh Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said on Thursday that the project would provide a major transport facility for residents of Pakistan’s largest city.

“The Sindh government is going to fully open Shahrah-e-Bhutto this month,” Memon told reporters in Karachi. “The road will directly connect to the M-9 motorway and help address traffic-related problems faced by citizens.”

Karachi, Pakistan’s commercial hub, has long struggled with traffic congestion, deteriorating infrastructure and public transport shortages amid rapid urban expansion.

Memon said that the provincial government’s top priority remained the completion of major infrastructure projects in the city, including the Red Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project and other transport initiatives.

He said authorities were working to complete the projects as quickly as possible despite challenges associated with large-scale urban development.

“We apologise to citizens for the inconvenience caused by construction work,” Memon said, adding that Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and the local government department were jointly working on several mega projects.

He also said some stalled projects had been revived, while a “state-of-the-art” BRT line was under construction.

Separately, Memon said that Pakistan signed a memorandum of understanding during President Asif Ali Zardari’s recent visit to China for the installation of a desalination plant in Karachi.

Under the agreement, he said, a Chinese company will install a plant aimed at converting seawater into usable water, which officials hope will help address the city’s chronic water shortages.

Memon also said that the government was considering relief measures for salaried individuals in the upcoming budget and hinted at the launch of another major development project in the near future.