Civil society rejects the elevated port link
Experts, NGO representatives and residents of Clifton and Defence on Saturday rejected the proposed Karachi Port Qayyumabad corridor, warning of privacy loss, continuous noise, environmental damage and risks to public health. They spoke at a press conference organised by the Karachi Citizens Forum (KCF) at the Pakistan Medical Association House in Karachi.
The plan envisages a 16.5-kilometre, four-lane elevated corridor meant to bypass inner-city traffic and link Karachi Port’s East Wharf directly with the recently opened Shahrah-i-Bhutto. In May, Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari performed the groundbreaking of the Rs65 billion scheme, which is to be built under a public-private partnership.
Route through Clifton, Boat Basin and DHA
KCF convener Nargis Rahman said the proposed alignment starts from the East and West Wharf and the South Asia Pakistan Terminals deep-sea port, crosses Chinna Creek, moves toward Boat Basin, then continues on an elevated structure past Khayaban-i-Jami—covering Schon Circle, Punjab Chowrangi, Delhi Colony and Altamash Hospital—before reaching Sunset Boulevard in DHA and joining Shahrah-i-Bhutto via Korangi Road.
She said the elevated expressway’s closeness to dense residential neighbourhoods in DHA and Clifton raises concerns about privacy, nonstop noise, environmental degradation and public health. Round-the-clock heavy traffic, she added, could harm residents’ well-being, safety and economic stability.
Why groups say the project is flawed
Amber Alibhai of Shehri-Citizens for a Better Environment argued that Karachi is already strained by flawed construction and called this elevated corridor project “another nail in its coffin.” Mohammad Toheed of the Karachi Urban Lab said earlier work on the Malir Expressway—now Shahrah-i-Bhutto—had already caused damage, and that this new link was brought in to make that project look useful, without proper public consultation.
Zahid Farooq, joint director of the Urban Resource Centre, said critics are not against development but asked at what cost. He said a small public hearing was held after a notice in a little-read newspaper, so most people never learned of it, and that trust between government and citizens was eroding.
Architect Arif Belgaumi said Clifton and Defence are densely populated, with families and offices needing more hospitals, schools, parks, markets and mosques—not an elevated expressway overhead. He estimated some 13,000 heavy vehicles would pass every 24 hours, generating air and noise pollution and congestion that would make the area unliveable.
DHA resident Syed Jamal Macdi said the port falls under the federal government and, after the 18th Amendment, provinces should focus on their own problems; he also warned of damage to mangroves. Clifton Block 5 resident Rasha Tarek said schools, parks, Boat Basin and the food street define the area and that an elevated corridor would change Clifton. Humaira Khan, of the Clifton Defence Community and Clifton Block 5 Residents Association, alleged that a Sindh Environmental Protection Agency meeting that cleared the project was “fake” and packed with “their own people,” and warned Clifton and DHA could become like Mauripur. Other speakers included Dr Aliya Rehman, Sana Zuberi, PMA secretary general Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro and KCF co-convener Dr Qaiser Sajjad.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- May: PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari performs the groundbreaking of the Rs65 billion elevated corridor under a public-private partnership.
- Saturday: The Karachi Citizens Forum and allied civil society groups hold a press conference at PMA House rejecting the Karachi Port Qayyumabad corridor over privacy, noise, environment and health concerns.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Karachi ke Clifton aur DHA ke logon ne port se Shahrah-i-Bhutto tak elevated road ka plan manzur nahi kiya. Unka kehna hai ke din-raat bhari gaariyan shor, air pollution aur privacy ke masail barhaengi. Yeh 16.5 kilometre ka Rs65 arab ka project hai. Ordinary logon ke liye matlab yeh hai ke agar yeh bana to un ke ilaqon ki zindagi aur mahaul badal sakta hai.
