Sindh Chief Secretary Syed Asif Hyder Shah on Tuesday directed officials to complete development works around the shrine of Hazrat Qalandar Lal Shahbaz before the next urs in January.
He said the Rs1.28 billion scheme should be completed by December 31, 2026, so the area can be beautified and made ready for pilgrims.
The chief secretary chaired a Zoom meeting on uplift works, while Jamshoro Deputy Commissioner Ghazanfar Qadri and other officials joined from Sehwan.
According to the deputy commissioner, the scheme includes work worth Rs1,280 million. He said some projects were completed in 2025-26, while the remaining work would be carried out in the current fiscal year.
He said the ongoing work includes construction of a dual carriageway from College Chowk to the shrine of Bodlo Bahar. The old Alam Pak will also be strengthened with iron work, while new marble flooring will be laid at the shrine to help visitors during the summer.
He added that the musafir khana and chillah gah of Qalandar at Lal Bagh were also being developed. The road from the Bodlo Bahar shrine to the bazaar will be improved to maintain symmetry in the area.
The meeting was also attended online by the secretaries of Works and Services and Public Health Engineering, Hyderabad Division Commissioner Fayyaz Abbasi, Hyderabad Deputy Commissioner Zainul Abideen Memon and other officials.
The Jamshoro deputy commissioner briefed the chief secretary on the works being carried out in Sehwan to facilitate devotees during the annual urs of Hazrat Qalandar Lal Shahbaz.
He said the schemes include rehabilitation and improvement of roads leading to Sehwan and the shrine, along with drainage, water supply, streetlights and pedestrian facilities.
He also briefed the meeting on the reconditioning of the dual carriageway from Jahaz Chowk, Sehwan, to the entrance gate of Government Degree College Sehwan via the Sehwan-Dadu Road. The project includes paver blocks, footpaths, solar street lights, drainage facilities and an improved water supply system.
The chief secretary directed the deputy commissioner and relevant departments to ensure the schemes are completed before the urs begins.
He said the safety and convenience of devotees must remain the top priority and all roads, drainage systems, streetlights, footpaths and water supply facilities should be completed and made operational in time.
He also stressed that road construction, drainage, water supply and other works must be carried out in a coordinated way so that newly built roads are not damaged later.
The chief secretary ordered timely removal of encroachments from routes used by devotees.
During the same meeting, the Hyderabad deputy commissioner gave a detailed briefing on major city projects, including Phase-III of Autobahn Road from Unit No. 7 Latifabad to Fateh Chowk, a pumping station at Public School Hyderabad, roads from Shahbaz Flyover to Unit-7 Latifabad and from Alamdar Chowk to NH-5, an MGD filtration plant for villages in Hyderabad taluka, the Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Flyover at Hala Naka, and a bridge with connecting road at Kali Mori near Government College University Hyderabad.
The chief secretary directed that development schemes in Hyderabad be completed within the approved timelines and made functional for public use.
He said there would be no compromise on the quality of construction materials or execution of work.
He further directed officials to ensure regular technical inspections, proper material testing, transparency in the use of public funds and adequate safety arrangements at all project sites.
Commissioner Fayyaz Abbasi was assigned to oversee implementation, identify bottlenecks and ensure prompt resolution.
The chief secretary also instructed the commissioner and deputy commissioner of Jamshoro to conduct regular field inspections and closely monitor the pace and quality of work.
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