KARACHI: Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Thursday directed the authorities concerned to complete the various ongoing transport schemes and launch new ones, including the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) projects, in the next fiscal. He said his government wanted to resolve the transport problems in the metropolis.

Presiding over a meeting to shape up Annual Development Programme (ADP) for the next financial year (2023-24), he also directed the planning and development department to propose allocations as local share for foreign-funded transport schemes.

“We have to resolve the transport issue of Karachi by completing different BRT projects in the next financial year,” the chief minister said while directing his team to make necessary allocations accordingly.

He said the ongoing and new transport schemes for Karachi had to be completed and launched within the next financial year to resolve the city’s transport issue.

Stresses necessary allocations for BRT projects, ongoing and new development schemes

The BRT Red Line project was launched in Feb 2022 with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Its track is stretched over 26 kilometres between Model Colony in Malir and Merewether Tower covering University Road, M.A. Jinnah Road and its extension road and Numaish Chowrangi.

The construction work on the project had reportedly been halted due to some administrative problems and a shortage of construction material. However, the transport department denied the reports saying that the project was being executed under the strict monitoring of the ADB.

The construction work on the Yellow Line is also expected to start in the next fiscal.

The dedicated corridor of the Yellow Line bus service will start from Dawood Chowrangi in Korangi Industrial Area via Jam Sadiq Bridge, Main Korangi Road, FTC Interchange, Sharea Faisal, Shahrah-i-Quaideen and Kashmir Road. It will integrate with Red Line at Numaish.

Karachi water project

The chief minister directed the P&D department to expedite work for the completion of the required formalities of Rs600 billion Karachi Water & Sewerage Service Improvement Project (KWSSIP) so that water board’s services could be improved.

The KWSSIP — which is developed after detailed discussions among stakeholders in Karachi with the World Bank, technical experts and consultants — aims at bringing the targeted institutional and governance reforms in Karachi Water and Sewerage Board along with a massive strategic investment programme for improvement of water and sewerage infrastructure in Karachi.

Flood victims’ rehabilitation

The chief minister asked the planning & development department to prioritise the rehabilitation of flood-affected people, repair and maintenance of the infrastructure devastated by the recent floods, and prepare a plan for the development of agricultural and industrial sectors.

Giving guidelines to the P&D for finalising the ADP for the next financial year, the chief minister said priority would be given to the schemes of infrastructure affected by the floods.

“I want to get repaired or reconstructed the school buildings, hospitals, roads and irrigation network so that they could be made functional again,” he said.

The meeting participants were told that during the current financial year (2022-23) 4,158 schemes were launched.

The chief minister directed the planning and development department to complete at least 800 schemes by the end of the current financial year.

Chairman of P&D Hassan Naqvi, briefing the meeting, said that six new foreign-funded schemes of the World Bank and one of the Asian Development Bank had been approved. They include WB-Sindh Flood Emergency Rehabilitation Project of Rs48 billion, Sindh Flood Emergency Housing Reconstruction Project of Rs110 billion, Sindh Water & Agriculture Transformation Project of Rs64 billion, Sindh Integrated Health & Population Project of Rs55 billion and Strengthening the Social Protection Delivery System for Rs42 billion and Sindh Flood Emergency Assistance Project by Asian Development Bank of Rs43.9 billion.

He also briefed the meeting about foreign-funded projects in the pipeline such as World Bank’s Sindh Transformational Accelerated Rural Services (STARS), Sindh Livestock and Aquaculture Development (SLAD) project and Asian Development Bank’s projects, including the Sindh Secondary Cities Improvement Project, Phase-II, Katchi Abadis project, Sindh Coastal Resilience Project, Provincial Road Improvement Project, Sindh Health System Strengthening Project and Integrated Transport Improvement Project of Hyderabad.

The CM also directed all the departments concerned to file their proposed schemes with the P&D department so that they could be included in the next ADP.

The meeting was held at CM House and attended by chief secretary Sohail Rajput, chairman of P&D Hassan Naqvi, finance secretary Sajid Jamal Abro, secretary to CM Rahim Shaikh, member P&D Fatah Tunio and others concerned.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2023