Nothing is being gained by providing a quasi-legal cover to an ill-advised development project. In fact, the decision is unfair on people living near the expressway site as well as the environment. The approval comes a year after construction began, in pursuance of the chief minister’s instructions to local government authorities to complete the 15-kilometre-long portion up to the city’s Quaidabad area by the end of this year.
The Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) has granted approval to the controversial Malir Expressway project — the multi-billion rupee venture already under construction for over a year now — without taking into account genuine concerns of area residents and experts over the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report, it emerged The affected residents and experts term the EIA approval by Sepa nothing but a mockery of the Sindh Environmental Protection Act 2014, as its Section 17 (1) reads: “No proponent of a project shall commence construction or operation unless he has filed with the Agency an IEE [initial environmental examination] or EIA, & has obtained from the agency approval in respect thereof.”
According to sources, work on the project was initiated soon after its inauguration by Pakistan Peoples Party chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in December 2020 and so far earth work on the 15-km-long portion right from Jam Sadiq Bridge to Quaidabad had been completed.
Developed under a public-private partnership, the project will link the city’s affluent areas with the newer gated societies emerging on the city’s outskirts.
It includes the development of 38.75 kilometres 3×3 lane expressway with controlled access along the Malir river starting from Korangi Creek Avenue (DHA) and ending at Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway (M-9) near Kathore via the existing Link Road.
Report doesn’t carry signature of Sepa chief; residents term approval mockery of environmental protection act
“Upon completion, the travelling time from Karachi-Hyderabad motorway, M-9, to KPT interchange on the main Korangi Road will be reduced to only 30 minutes,” says the project’ EIA report.
It claims the motorway will cause least environmental and social damages due to lesser travel distance and time and limited land acquisition and resettlement issues. It will also provide a natural bund (due to embankments) in the seasonal urban floods in heavy monsoon rains, it adds.‘A recipe for disaster’
However, local residents look at the project planned on the right side of the Malir river as a recipe for disaster.
They think that it would lead to demolition of old villages, deprive people of their homes, agricultural land and destroy heritage and religious sites as well as biodiversity of the area, currently home to many several species of flora and fauna.Apart from its environmental significance, the district also attracts official attention, albeit only during the elections season. It’s one of the few areas that have remained a stronghold of the PPP for decades but has hardly seen any serious steps for human development and civic infrastructure.
“This public attitude to an extent provides insights into the party’s continued reign over the province as well as explains why the government completely ignored its constituents in this important initiative despite their demonstrations,” a local activist said on the condition of anonymity. Local residents, he believed, had a good opportunity to get their reservations addressed ahead of by-elections on a provincial assembly seat held last year.