Green Line BRT to start operations on Oct 10 this year

Presiding over a meeting of the Provincial Coordination & Implementation Committee (PCIC), Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday decided to allot 47 plots to affected residents of an anti-encroachment drive in District Central of the city and directed the provincial transport department to complete the Orange Line Bus Rapid Transit Service (BRT) by August.

He also issued directives to expedite work on the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR).

The meeting was held at the CM House and attended by ministers Nasir Hussain Shah and Awais Qadir Shah, Law Adviser Murtaza Wahab, Corps Commander Karachi Lt General Nadeem Anjum, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, GOC Malir Maj Gen Omer Maqbool, Planning and Development Board Chairperson Shireen Narejo, Principal Secretary to the CM Sajid Jamal Abro, Karachi Commissioner Naveed Shaikh, Additional Planning Secretary Aziz Uqaili, Transport Secretary Shariq Ahmed, KMC Administrator Laeeq Ahmed, Karachi Water and Sewerage Board Managing Director (MD) Asadullah Khan, Sindh Solid Waste Management Board MD Zubair Channa, NED University Vice Chancellor Dr Sarosh Lodhi, Frontier Works Organisation’s (FWO) Brig Waqar, Brig Yasir Elahi of the PCIC and others.

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lt Gen Akhter Nawaz attended the meeting through a video link.

The meeting’s agenda included the KCR and BRTs, anti-encroachment drive in the city, drain rehabilitation drive and disaster management plan.

KCR

The transport department told the meeting that the FWO had conducted a survey for detailed designs and estimated costs of flyovers and underpasses along the KCR route.

According to the PC-1 of the project, three elevated structures would be constructed in the first phase at a cost of Rs4.9 billion.

The CM said that he had promised to provide Rs6 billion for the purpose which would be released as per the timeline given by the railway authorities.

KCR Project Director Ameer Daudpota told the meeting that there were some issues which needed to be resolved before starting the work. To this, the CM said he would chair a meeting on the KCR on Monday to resolve all the KCR-related issues so that work on the project could be started as per the Supreme Court order.

Orange Line BRT

The meeting was told that the Orange Line BRT project of the Sindh government was 3.88 kilometres long and included four stations and one bus terminal. The infrastructure of the project would be completed by the end of next month, it was said.

The provincial transport department has released Rs2.12 billion to the Sindh Infrastructure Development Company for the procurement of 20 buses and Rs587.19 million for operating the BRT.

The buses will arrive from China in December 2021.

Red Line BRT

The meeting was told that the Red Line BRT was Pakistan’s first mass-transit system with zero carbon emission due to the bio-gas component. A state-of-the-art bio-gas plant would be installed near Bhains Colony for the purpose.

It was said that a supervision consultant had been selected for the project and a civil contractor was being finalised, after which the financial bid would be made.

The meeting was told that the Malir Halt and Mausumiyat depots were being used by the Pakistan Rangers and they had assured that they would vacate them when work on the project would start. The CM directed the chief secretary to provide alternative space to the paramilitary force so that they could continue with their operations smoothly.

Yellow Line BRT

The Yellow Line BRT is another provincial government project of Rs61.436 billion, in which the World Bank’s share is Rs53.540 billion, the Sindh government’s share is Rs2.654 billion and the private sector will lend Rs5.250 billion.

The BRT would be developed primarily along Korangi and its industrial road connecting the city's south-eastern suburbs with South and Central districts.

It is a 21-km project between Dawood Chowrangi and Numaish. There would be two flyovers, nine underpasses, one U-turn and 28 stations along the route, which would also have a 42-km motorcycle track on both sides. Its ridership would be 300,000 per day and some 268 diesel hybrid buses would ply on its route.

The meeting was told that the final contract for the project was expected to be finalised in consultation with the World Bank just after Eidul Azha.

Green Line BRT

Regarding the Green Line BRT, which is a federal government project, the meeting was told that its infrastructure till Numaish would be completed by August 30 and buses would arrive in the city from China on August 10.

The CM was assured that the project’s operations would start on October 10.

Encroachments

The Karachi commissioner briefed the meeting about the anti-encroachment drive along the embankments of drains in the city. He said 5,134 units had been removed, including 238 units from the Mehmoodabad drain, 3,290 from the Gujjar drain, 416 from the Orangi drain (Central), 1,001 from the Orangi drain (West) and 189 from the Orangi drain (Keamari).

It was pointed out that Rs823.340 million had been released for paying compensation to the affected people, of which Rs545.737 million had been disbursed and the remaining amount of Rs277.603 million would be given to the affected persons after the completion of necessary formalities.

The meeting was told that 1,169 shops and 47 houses had been constructed on the 7000 Road drain in New Karachi. These establishments spread over 6.5km. The CM said his government would provide plots to the owners of those 47 houses.