Karachi Division

Karachi: [ReNews Pakistan]
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has inaugurated the 39 kilometre long Shahrah e Bhutto Expressway, a major road corridor designed to improve connectivity between Karachi and the M-9 Motorway.
The expressway links Qayyumabad with the M-9 Motorway and is expected to ease traffic pressure on key city routes while reducing travel time for commuters heading from Karachi towards other parts of Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan.
During the ceremony, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also laid the foundation stone of another major expressway project that will connect Karachi Port with Qayyumabad. The proposed link is aimed at improving cargo movement from the port and supporting smoother transport operations across the city.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, while addressing the inauguration ceremony, said Shahrah-i-Bhutto Expressway consists of six lanes, six interchanges and a five kilometre elevated section. He said the project had been completed in different phases.
According to the chief minister, the first nine kilometre section of the expressway was inaugurated in January 2025, while another four kilometre portion was opened in June last year. The remaining section has now been completed and formally inaugurated.
Murad Ali Shah said the project took around four to four and a half years to complete. He added that one of the reasons behind the timeline was the government’s effort to avoid displacement of communities living along the route.
The chief minister said the expressway is expected to reduce travel time by nearly one hour for people leaving Karachi for other cities and provinces. He described the project as an important addition to Karachi’s road infrastructure and a step towards improving urban mobility.
He further said development projects worth PKR 1.7 trillion are currently underway in Karachi, while projects worth more than PKR 70 billion have been approved during the past three months.
Officials said the newly inaugurated expressway and the planned Karachi Port to Qayyumabad link would play an important role in reducing traffic congestion, improving freight movement and strengthening Karachi’s position as the country’s main commercial and port city.

Karachi: [ReNews Pakistan]
The Karachi administration has decided to develop a mobile app to organize information and details related to fire safety measures in all shopping malls, private commercial buildings and government buildings across the city.
The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Karachi Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi at his office, where the performance of the ongoing fire safety audit survey being conducted under the supervision of assistant commissioners was reviewed in detail.
The meeting was informed that fire safety audit committees, headed by assistant commissioners, are conducting surveys of various buildings across the city. The purpose of these committees is to review fire safety arrangements, emergency response preparedness and other safety facilities available in the buildings.
Provincial Disaster Management Authority System Analyst Dyal Das Rathore briefed the meeting and said that a portal containing details of the fire safety audit survey has been developed under the Sindh government, where survey-related information is being uploaded.
He said that the fire safety audit of more than 800 commercial buildings has been completed so far. During the survey, fire safety equipment, emergency exits, safety arrangements and disaster management facilities in the buildings were reviewed.
The meeting was further informed that notices have been issued to buildings where the required fire safety measures have not been completed. The administrations of the concerned buildings have been directed to complete the remaining safety requirements as soon as possible.
Commissioner Karachi Syed Hassan Naqvi said the protection of citizens’ lives and property is the administration’s top priority. He directed the relevant officers to continue the fire safety audit process effectively and ensure that survey results are preserved through a digital system, so future monitoring, enforcement and improvement measures can be made more transparent and effective.

Karachi: [ReNews Pakistan]
The Sindh Building Control Authority has recovered valuable land belonging to the Pakistan Red Crescent Society in Orangi Town after nearly 40 years of illegal occupation.
The anti-encroachment operation was carried out in Orangi Town No. 5, where SBCA teams demolished more than 100 illegally constructed shops. Officials said the commercial units had been built on land originally allocated for the construction of a hospital.
According to officials, the land had remained under the control of an encroachment mafia for around four decades. During this period, commercial activities continued on the site despite its designated public welfare purpose.
The Pakistan Red Crescent Society’s Sindh Branch had repeatedly raised the matter with the relevant authorities. Its chairman had approached Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, the Karachi commissioner and SBCA officials, seeking action to recover the occupied land.
Following these efforts, the SBCA launched a major operation and cleared the illegal market established on the hospital site. During the operation, authorities also confiscated goods from the encroached premises and issued warning notices to prevent any fresh attempt to occupy the land.
Officials said the recovered property would now be used by the Red Crescent Society for its original purpose. The society plans to construct a hospital on the land to provide free medical facilities to the public, particularly residents of Orangi Town and nearby areas.
The recovery of the land has been described as an important step toward restoring public welfare spaces and curbing long-standing encroachments in Karachi.