Asian Development Bank has said that Malir Expressway project has been removed from the priority lists for funding through the Bank’s resources.
In a letter written by Indigenous Legal Rights Alliance (ILRA) to the bank authorities after receiving a petition from project-affected people, letter shared details of destruction of their homes and agricultural lands by project.
Hafeez Baloch, a resident of Malir, shared a copy of ADB’s letter on his Twitter handle and wrote that “ADB rejected the Malir Expressway on environmental grounds over objection of local people of Malir.”
However, Sindh government spokesperson and legal adviser to chief minister Barrister Murtaza Wahab told Dawn that the Malir Expressway is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) project and is not financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). .
Former administrator Karachi Murtaza Wahab says that this is purely a public-private partnership project and the project is not supported by ADB.
According to the Asian Development Bank spokesperson, the project has been removed from the funding list following a complaint by two residents of Malir.
ILRA had filed a complaint with the ADP on behalf of the affected people about the adverse environmental impact of the expressway.
ADB officials say that based on the objections raised in the letter, the project team is closely monitoring the issues.
The letter states that the Malir Expressway project is one of the projects of Sindh government funded by ADB. However, to date there has been no commitment for formal funding from ADB for this project.
The letter states that the projects are being selected on the basis of the government’s priorities to create broad scope for developing public-private partnerships.
Two residents and farmers of Malir, Muhammad Aslam and Azeem, had filed a complaint with ADB through IRLA through their lawyer Abeera Ashfaq against the project.
The letter alleged that the provincial government had conducted an incorrect Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and that the Malir Expressway would cause huge environmental and economic losses.
The letter said the project would reduce agricultural production and damage a green belt along the Malir river on the outskirts of Karachi that protects the city from the adverse effects of climate change, particularly heatwaves and floods. Is.
On the other hand, the spokesman of the provincial government says that the Sindh government is providing 27 billion rupees for the project. The project will provide connectivity between DHA City and Bahria Town on the Super Highway.