HYDERABAD: A senior civil administration official has sought the cancellation of the notice inviting tender (NIT) for the construction of a bridge over Labbaik Chowk in Latifabad, as the federally-funded “urban infrastructure development package” gets under way in the city.
Deputy Commissioner Hyderabad Zainul Abideen Memon on Aug 30 questioned the bridge construction project, writing a letter to the CEO of the Pakistan Infrastructure Development Company Limited (PIDCL) to cancel or withdraw the recent NIT for the flyover over the roundabout, on the grounds that it was not “technically feasible” in view of ground realities, including the available width and right of way of the road, and traffic conditions.
DC Zain confirmed to Dawn the other day that he had addressed the letter to PIDCL. He clarified that PIDCL’s own official had asked him to write the letter questioning the project. His letter said the “proposed intervention [flyover] is likely to aggravate already growing traffic congestion and related public inconvenience”.
He expressed concern that the district administration was not consulted during the conception and planning of development schemes, including the aforementioned one, which may cause a lack of necessary coordination, planning and execution of such important projects. He requested the cancellation of the NIT and that alternative schemes be identified in consultation with the administration and stakeholders.
Hyderabad flyover, drainage case expose MQM-PPP funding rift
In another development, a separate uplift plan being executed by the PIDCL under the same federally-funded project led to the registration of a criminal case against the contractor in Latifabad. The FIR was lodged at the Hussainabad police station by Fayyaz Kalyar, an official of the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC), on Sept 15, vide crime number 266/26 under relevant Sections of the PPC, against contractor Muzaffar Qureshi, for a PIDCL work in Latifabad, alleging damage to the HMC’s drainage pipeline. The complainant said that no permission had been sought for the work that damaged the HMC property.
The two issues were apparently an offshoot of ongoing political friction between the MQM and the PPP, as these works — identified by local party leadership and parliamentarians — were part of the project the MQM got approved for Hyderabad soon after the formation of the PML-N-led coalition federal government.
MQM leaders and parliamentarians have, for the umpteenth time, expressed a lack of trust in the ruling PPP’s provincial government as far as development works in their constituencies are concerned. They have pressed the federal government to transfer the funds for the Karachi and Hyderabad packages to the PIDCL, instead of leaving them at the Sindh government’s disposal. The federal government acceded to MQM’s request and transferred the funds to the PIDCL.
In December 2025, MQM’s Sindh Assembly members from Hyderabad had opposed the transfer of 43 development schemes from the Local Government Project to the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC), at the request of the city’s mayor.
Now, the flyover project was said to be the first major project of the urban infrastructure development package that was to start in Latifabad, subject to various procedural approvals — and it is this project that has become the subject of controversy. So far, Rs7.5bn has been transferred to the PIDCL for Hyderabad city, inclusive of last year’s and this year’s funds, on the demand of the MQM, the PML-N’s federal ally.
The Rs800 million flyover project was proposed at Labbaik Chowk — commonly known as the late PPP leader Qamaruzzaman Shah’s chowk, because of the location of his bungalow at the site — at the confluence of Latifabad’s different units. A notice inviting tender (NIT) has been published in newspapers.
The roundabout in question is one of the busiest intersections in Hyderabad. It has lately become a hotspot for wedding halls and huge commercial plazas being built on two corners of the roundabout, one of them in place of the famous residence of the late Qamaruzzaman Shah.
“The contractor has obtained bail, which pertained to pavement-related work under PIDCL. Hurdles are being raised in the works by the administration and HMC,” alleged MNA Wasim. He questioned the DC’s letter on the flyover’s construction and said the DC would be responsible for any cost escalation in the bridge’s work.
Wasim said that funds under this project had been transferred to a non-lapsable account of the PIDCL after the works were identified by MQM. “When we demand permission for some works, the same is not issued by Sindh government offices, including the HMC and the administration,” he said. He said that previously, the Hyderabad civil administration had identified these very works for development, but the federal government had declined the request.
The Hyderabad district administration had identified Rs4.98 billion worth of works, and a pre-Central Development Working Party (CDWP) meeting was convened for the technical assessment of 23 works relating to water supply, roads and drainage. These works were earlier to be executed by the provincial local government and housing department, according to the DC.
“But these works were dropped as PIDCL was given funds for Hyderabad’s urban infrastructure development package by the federal government,” said the DC. “We did deny the issuance of the stakeholder consultation certificate sought by PIDCL, for want of consultation with the administration,” the DC stated, adding that the tendering process was, however, now under way for the PIDCL schemes.
Interestingly, a traffic signal installation scheme was being executed by the Sindh Mass Transit Authority at the very roundabout where the flyover has been conceived. The traffic signal works were part of a Rs30 million project to cover the installation of traffic signals at two other roundabouts as well, Shahbaz and Giddu. The old roundabout has been dismantled by the executing agency, and lines have also been laid.
The Sindh government, for its part, has already provided Rs8.02 billion in funds for the works.
Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2026
