KARACHI: Reviewing progress of the Rs10 billion Karachi package, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed the authorities concerned to complete the ongoing schemes on top priority and finalise the required formalities on the schemes to be taken up this month.

The chief minister (CM), who was presiding over the 10th meeting to review the work progress of the schemes the other day, specifically inquired about the road from Hasan Square to Safoora Chowrangi and asked the project director to expedite the process of awarding contract and get the work done by reputed contractors.

Karachi package project director Niaz Soomro briefed the CM on the progress of the ongoing schemes in detail. He said that under the package, work on 14 schemes of road rehabilitation and reconstruction had been initiated in August which would cost Rs 463 million. Out of the 14 schemes, six would be completed by December, 2016 while the rest would be completed by Jan 17.The road from Do Talwar to Metropole Hotel via Teen Talwar Clifton launched with Rs110 million was started in August 2016. Presently its physical progress was 77per cent and it would be completed in December, 2016, the project director told the meeting also attended by Additional Chief Secretary (development) M.

Waseem, Principal Secretary Naveed Kamran Baloch and Secretary Finance Hassan Naqvi.

About other schemes, the meeting was told that progress of work on Rs9.9 million Chaudhry Khalig-uz-Zaman Intersection to Shaheen Complex via PIDC Chowk was 55 per cent, Rs 3.09 million rehabilitation of road from Metropole to Zainab Market Roundabout 80 per cent, Rs 5.5 millionimprovement of both side footpaths and allied work from Shaheen Complex to Tower 65 per cent, Rs 9.7 million repair & maintenance of road/patch work, including repair of footpath around Bin Qasim Park, was 60 per cent.

He said progress of work on Rs9 million rehabilitation of Kamal Atta Turk Road at Sindh Secretariat was 33 per cent and Rs 16.8 million construction of main RCC pipe drain from Codra Chwok to Shafiq Mor (No.7000 Road North) was 35 per cent.

Similarly, the progress of Rs2.8 million rehabiliation of road No.3000 from Causeway to road No.8000 was 30 per cent, Rs 23.4 million rehabilitation of expressway from Hino Chowrangi to Baloch Colony bridge (double track) 65 per cent, Rs 3.31 million construction of road No.4000 from road No.3000 to road No.5000 40 per cent and Rs 4.6 million reconstruction of Mehran Highway from rice godown to Hospital Chowarngi was 10 per cent, the meeting learnt.

The director told the meeting that work done on Rs4.2 million scheme of construction of a culvert at Korangi Nallah near CBM College was 60 per cent, Rs 172.7 million scheme of rehabilitation of storm water drain and road in front of the truck stand from Gate 1 to 6 was 20 per cent while on Rs69.8 million scheme of installation of LED lights and poles at Sharea Faisal from Shahrah-i-Quaideen flyover to Natha Khan bridge was 10 per cent and on Rs 15.7 million scheme of installation of LED lights and poles surrounding of Quaid-iAzam`s Mazar was 80 per cent and Rs 11.8 million scheme of improvement and rehabilitation of street lights system from Metropole to Zainab Market was 50 per cent.

Village electrification Presiding over a meeting of village electrification and gasification here on Wednesday, thechief minister said village electrification and gasification was on his priority. `I am working hard to generate electricity through renewable and coal-based projects and simultaneously working to provide electricity and gas to villages.

Highlighting the need of electrification and providing gas to villages, the chief minister said: `Our village women are still using traditional stove in which wood and dung cakes are burnt for cooking food. Now it becomes our duty to get them rid of old system and provide them facility to cook food on gas stoves,` he said and directed the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Mohammad Waseem to take up the issue with the authorities concerned to expedite the work to facilitate people living in villages.

Briefing the CM, the ACS said Rs1300 million had been allocated for electriñcation and Rs1.2 billion for gasification of 88 village during the current Knancial year. The government had released Rs1 billion to the energy department which had onward released Rs272.94 million to Sepco to provide electricity to 247 small villages and Rs253.33 million to Hesco for electrification of 175 schemes.

EU ambassador The chief minister, who also received Europen Union Ambassador-designate Jean Francois Francois Cautain here on Wednesday at the CM House, has urged upon the European Union to extend their support to Sindh for generation of renewable energy from wind and solar.

The European Union envoy assured the chief minister that he would work to assist the Sindh government to achieve its goals in the fields of development, and police and teachers`training.