Sharjeel orders transport dept to reclaim its lands

Sindh Transport Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Tuesday ordered his department to promptly reclaim all its lands across the province, and submit a relevant report.

Memon chaired a meeting to review the progress of the Yellow Line bus rapid transit system project. The meeting discussed various technical and administrative challenges of the project, and also reviewed the progress of the construction of a bridge and a depot.

The minister ordered removing those occupying the transport department’s lands. He said the encroachment of the department’s lands by government agencies is regrettable, adding that such actions by certain government entities are unfortunate.

He said Yellow Line is a major public transport project that would offer modern and low-cost travel facilities to people. He instructed all parties concerned to speed up the construction process so that the project can be completed quickly.

He also said the completion of Yellow Line would ease the pressure on Karachi’s transport system, and provide convenience to passengers. He emphasised the government’s commitment to overcoming all obstacles, and ensuring the project’s timely completion.

Project Director Zameer Abbasi briefed the meeting about the recent status of Yellow Line. He said construction work is progressing rapidly to ensure timely completion. He also briefed the meeting on utility transfer issues, which are being sorted out as soon as possible.

Later, Memon chaired a meeting with the provincial government’s spokespersons to deliberate about the promotion of major government projects, including the Sindh Peoples Housing for Flood Affectees, the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, the Sindh Institute of Urology & Transplantation, the Peoples Bus Service, the Pink Bus Service, Shahrah-e-Bhutto and autism centres.

The minister claimed that Sindh is the only province in Pakistan where the most work has been done for public health and basic facilities. He said the Sindh government is currently providing homes to 2.1 million people.

The government is also offering solar systems to those who cannot afford electricity, allowing them to access free electricity, he added. He emphasised that the provincial government wants its spokespersons to present the performance of every department to the public.