Sharjeel sets five-day deadline to resolve utilities’ issues in Red Line
KARACHI: The pace of developments on Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Red Line project does not hold out much hope for any early betterment in the situation as authorities are still talking about “hiccups in the project” mainly due to an inadequate response from utility providers.
The situation emerged after a meeting on Friday which was chaired by Sindh Senior Minister and Provincial Minister for Information, Transport, and Mass Transit, Sharjeel Inam Memon.
The briefing on the project from the authorities concerned drew a strong reaction from the transport minister, who set a “five-day deadline” to address all the issues related to utilities infrastructure in order to ensure smooth progress on the project.
The meeting that lasted for more than three hours was also attended by Lloyd Wright, an official of the project financier — Asian Development Bank (ADB) — and other international consultants through video link.
Meeting identifies infrastructure adjustments of KWSC, KE as major causes of project’s delay
Transport Secretary Asad Zamin, chairman of planning and development Najam Shah, Karachi Commissioner Hassan Naqvi, CEO of TransKarachi Tariq Manzoor Chandio, DIG Traffic Ahmed Nawaz Cheema and other relevant officials also attended the meeting.
“He [transport minister] was briefed during the meeting by TransKarachi CEO Tariq Manzoor Chandio about the hiccups in the project, particularly about the lack of adequate response from utility providers with regard to shifting of their installations,” a statement issued after the meeting said. “The minister set a strict deadline of five days for all stakeholders to address the issues and ensure smooth progress.”
He also directed the officials to coordinate with Civil Aviation Authority to commence work near the airport.
During the meeting, the infrastructure adjustments of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC), K-IV and K-Electric were identified as major causes of the project’s delay.
The meeting participants discussed in details the delays in relocating utilities, including water supply lines and installations by K-Electric, the National Telecommunication Corporation, and Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited, the statement said.
Despite challenges, the minister reiterated that he would not allow any further delay in completion of the project.
“Further delays in the Red Line BRT project are unacceptable,” Mr Memon said, adding: “We must finish the work before the schedule. For speeding up the construction, the work should be continued in three shifts, round the clock.”
Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2025
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