Karachi : KPT Food Street’s inauguration likely to be delayed further

[LahoreEstate]

* Worsening law and order situation in the country forcing companies to abandon work

By Moonis Ahmed

KARACHI: The inauguration of the Karachi Port Trust’s Food Street project is likely to be delayed further for the third time during the current year, sources told Daily Times on Tuesday.

They said that due to prevailing law and order situation in the country, the Ministry of Ports and Shipping has postponed its opening, despite the fact that the construction has been completed by almost 90 percent.

The project with a cost of Rs 1 billion was to be inaugurated earlier this year first on March 23 and later on August 14 and then according to the Minister for Ports and Shipping Babur Khan Ghauri on Eidul Azha.

“Due to the law and order situation in the country, both the American and the local group working on the project stopped work, said Planning and Development General Manager Brigadier Jamshed Zaidi.

He said that the construction of old native jetty bridge was a big hurdle in this project as it took a long time to be reconstructed, adding a line of water board was also going from that bridge that was to be shifted and power supply from WAPDA took too much time.

“The contract was given to an international American company, but because of the worsening law and order situation in the country, the company did not continue to work on the project and backed out of the project,” he said.

“Now new franchises have been brought in to work completely on the ongoing project,” he said. The GM said that now, the new franchises have started working on the project again and after its completion, it may be inaugurated after Muharramul Haram.

He said that the project offered on a build operation and transfer basis for a 21-year lease to the GLC would have ample area for landscaping, walkways, joy rides, dinner cruises etc. The scope of work of this BOT project includes financing, construction, maintenance and operation of all aspects pertaining to the project.

However, sources said that the postponement of the project for the third time demonstrated that the Food Street would take a long time to become functional due to security concerns.

The Food Street is being developed at Neti Jetty and supposedly Pakistan’s only short-break food and fun destination, which is offering an unrivalled selection of attractions for the whole family to enjoy together.

According to an estimate around 12,000-13,000 visitors per day would be visiting the venue and more than 50 restaurants and food stalls would be set up offering local as well as Chinese and Italian foods.

The sources said that construction of the project is almost in the final stages of its completion, but its open and wide area still poses a security concern for the local as well as foreign visitors.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...009_pg5_10