Drug addicts allegedly stole steel reinforcement from the beams of the Natha Khan Bridge, located on Karachi’s main artery Shahrah-e-Faisal, which caused one of the beams to break, creating a wide crater several feet across. Repair work has begun, but traffic flow remains severely disrupted.
According to details, drug addicts have been inflicting serious damage on the city’s infrastructure. At Natha Khan Bridge, they cut through the beams to steal the iron rods, resulting in the collapse of the middle lane of the bridge heading toward the airport.
The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) began repair work on Monday after being alerted by the traffic police. KMC reported that the bridge had developed a crater measuring eight feet wide and fifteen feet long, which has slowed traffic and caused long queues of vehicles. Commuters trapped in the gridlock during the intense heat faced severe distress.
Workers from the contractor repairing the bridge said that it could take 10 to 15 days to complete the restoration. They claimed that drug addicts had cut out 6-sut (thick) steel rods from inside the beams, weakening the structure and causing cracks. They added that beams showing cracks would first be reinforced before the road surface is repaired.
The workers further alleged that nearly all the beams of the Natha Khan Bridge have been damaged by addicts removing the steel rods, leaving the structure severely compromised. They explained that one damaged section measuring eight by fifteen feet will be repaired first, followed by another section of the same size.
They also complained that addicts openly cut steel rods without intervention, while police take no action. “If an ordinary citizen were to cut steel, the police would arrest him immediately. But addicts dismantle the bridge in front of law enforcement, and no one stops them,” the workers said, blaming inaction for the complete destruction of the bridge’s underside.
It is worth noting that the main cause of the craters on Natha Khan Bridge is the recurring theft of steel rods from its beams and pillars by drug addicts. This weakens the structure, leading to sagging beams and eventual collapse of the road surface.
