THIS is with reference to the report ‘KMC announces reconstruction of 418 roads across Karachi’ (Jan 25). The jolt was due to the massive number: 418. That many roads in a damaged condition in a single city? I read it a couple of times to make sure my eyes were not playing a trick. My next thought was that one of the three numbers had been mistakenly added in the announcement. Or maybe there was an error in reporting the number. Eighteen roads requiring repairs is understandable, or even 41 is digestible. How can 418 roads be in a bad condition at the same time?

If the number is, indeed, correct, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) should also make an announcement about penalties imposed on the contractors who made these poor-quality roads in the first place, and actions against the relevant officials who awarded the initial contracts to such unprofessional contractors.

Furthermore, why were so many roads allowed to deteriorate without any action to restore them? This is poor governance beyond belief.

If all these 418 roads are to be recons- tructed at the same time, the chances are that none of the roads will be repaired properly and the same story will have to be reported again in the near future.

I suggest repairing the roads in phases, maybe 30 at a time, prioritising roads that commuters use more frequently, so that the work is done under close supervision with appropriate pre-agreed conditions to ensure timely and proper accountability.

Moin Mohajir
Karachi

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2026