KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday ordered the transport ministry to complete the Orange Line project within next three months.

He also asked the ministry to get ready for tendering for the Red Line for which he wanted to perform groundbreaking ceremony on August 14.

The chief minister issued these directives while presiding over a meeting to review the progress of Orange Line and Red Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) networks at CM House.

Transport Minister Awais Shah, Local Government Minister Nasir Shah, Adviser to CM Murtaza Wahab and other officials attended the meeting.

Minister Awais Shah briefed the chief minister that the ongoing work on Orange Line was in its finishing phase. The CM directed him to complete it within next three months and adopt the procedure of procurement of buses, initially with a fleet of 25 buses.

CM wants buses of uniform design to operate on Green, Orange lines

“I want to procure best buses whether they could have the seating capacity of 40 passengers with carrying 80 more standing; or, large buses with double capacity,” he said.

He asked the transport minister to talk to the Green Line project management or the federal government so that buses of uniform design and capacity could be purchased.

The chief minister said he had already approved Rs962 million for the construction of an underpass and mezzanine floor at the Numaish traffic intersection area.

The finance department has referred the matter to the subcommittee of the cabinet which would submit its report to release the amount.

Responding to a question, the chief minister was told that the land for Green Line bus depot at Surjani Town had been transferred in the name of the project. The local government department would issue notification by Monday.

The CM directed the transport ministry to enter into facilitation and implementation agreement with the Green Line project management.

The project would be operated by the federal government for three years and then it would be transferred to the Sindh government for continuation of its operation.

The chief minister also ordered the ministry to make arrangements for shifting of the truck stand from Mauripur to Northern Bypass and get 100 acres of land transferred from the Board of Revenue to construct the intercity bus terminal on Superhighway.

The matter of land acquisition for the biogas plant at Bhains Colony under Karachi BRT Red Line installation also came under discussion. The chief minister said the biogas plant at Bhains Colony would be highly feasible since availability of cattle dung to generate biogas would be easier there.

LG Minister Nasir Shah said that land was owned by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and he would discuss the matter with the city mayor to get 40 acres allocated for the Red Line biogas plant.

The chief minister was informed the tender document for the Red Line project was ready and would be floated within a month. However, advertisement had been issued for appointment of a supervision consultant for the project.

The chief minister said he would perform groundbreaking ceremony of Red Line project on the coming day of Pakistan’s independence.

“The transport ministry has to expedite all pending works accordingly.

“The true service to the people of Karachi will be helping solving their transport issues by launching the state-of-art BRT.”

Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2020