KARACHI: Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Asad Umar on Sunday said that the long-awaited Green Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project will be completed within 10-12 days.
"PM Imran Khan is coming [to Karachi] to solve the transportation issues of the citizens of Karachi," Umar said while addressing a PTI's workers' convention in Karachi.
He said that the PTI-led government will resolve Karachi's transport issues as he announced that PM Imran Khan will inaugurate the project in Karachi in two weeks.
"Karachi's journey towards development has begun," the minister added.
Umar further stated that the census has always been a problem in Karachi.
He said that a complaint was received that the people of Karachi are not able to find employment at which, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that census should be conducted every five years.
"A fair and transparent census will be conducted in Karachi," Umar said, adding that Karachi's new population census will be completed by December 2022.
Speaking about the local government system in Sindh, Umar said that it doesn't empower people.
He said that the PTI has filed a petition in court regarding the system.
Umar went on to say that the education, health, transport, tourism and water supply and sewerage departments will work under the mayor in Islamabad.
'Green Line bus service to start commercial operations from Dec 25'
Earlier in the day, the planning minister had claimed that the BRT project would be ready for trial operations in Karachi in the next 10 days.
Taking to Twitter, Umar said that Prime Minister Imran Khan will perform the groundbreaking of the Green Line BRT project, which aims to facilitate the people in Karachi.
Following the trial operations of around two weeks, the Green Line bus service will start its commercial operations on December 25.
The project had been started back in 2016 by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who had aimed to complete the project within one year. However, due to various reasons, the project remained incomplete.
Cargo ship carrying 40 buses for Karachi BRT project arrive
On September 19, public transport in Karachi got closer to getting a much-needed boost as a cargo ship carrying the Green Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project buses entered Pakistani territory.
Authorities had confirmed to Geo News that the cargo ship Feng Shen, loaded with 40 buses, had entered Pakistan’s territorial waters.
Earlier, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail had also announced that the BRT project would be inaugurated in Karachi in a month's time.