KARACHI: The district administration has indefinitely sealed the “Nipa Hydrant” on University Road after Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah’s convoy got stuck in a severe traffic jam caused by water tankers. While en route to NED University, the Chief Minister’s convoy faced intense delays on a road already narrowed by the ongoing BRT (Red Line) project, where long queues of commercial tankers had severely exacerbated the congestion. Expressing strong displeasure over the situation, the Chief Minister took immediate notice, prompting the Assistant Commissioner of Gulshan-e-Iqbal, under the directions of the Deputy Commissioner East, to promptly seal the hydrant and deploy a police mobile to secure the site.
This is not the first time the Nipa Hydrant has faced official closure, as it has a history of regulatory violations. Previously, the Mayor of Karachi had sealed it for illegal operations, imposing a PKR 10 million fine, while the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) had also shut it down in the past over tax-related issues. Following this latest action, the Water Corporation has confirmed the complete suspension of tanker operations at the location. However, sources warn that this sudden closure is highly likely to disrupt water distribution across several neighborhoods in the city that rely heavily on tanker supplies.
