Sindh Senior Minister for Information and Transport Sharjeel Memon on Tuesday said work on the Orange Line bus rapid transit (BRT) project has been completed, while work on the Yellow Line is progressing rapidly with the support of the World Bank.
Memon said that one section of the Taj Haider Bridge has been completed, while work on the remaining section is under way. Construction of the Yellow Line depots is also in progress, while development work on the Red Line continues with the support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), he added.
“Modern bus terminals are being constructed in Thatta, Badin, Miro Khan and Larkana during the current financial year, while projects in Thal, Karachi, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Shaheed Benazirabad and Kandiaro will be completed in the next financial year. Work on the parking plaza project in Hyderabad will also begin this year.” Speaking in the provincial assembly during the question hour, he said the Red Line faces several challenges, including the increase in the value of dollar and an unprecedented increase in construction costs.
These factors have affected both the private and public sectors, while some contractors (of the Red Line) refused to continue work despite additional payments, resulting in the contract of one contractor being cancelled and the responsibility being handed over to the Frontier Works Organisation, he added.
He also said that major cities around the world are planned with future needs in mind, and the purpose of the BRT projects in Karachi is to provide better travel facilities for future generations.
Memon said that in the first phase the Peoples Bus Service (PBS) was introduced in Larkana and Karachi, while funds for the purchase of buses were provided by the federal government.
EV (electric vehicle) buses were introduced under a public-private partnership, and the government also provided subsidies to the private sector to encourage their operation, he added.
He said a biogas plant would be established under the Red Line project. Initially, he pointed out, it was proposed that hybrid buses would operate on the route, but it was later decided to introduce EV buses instead. The project is being completed with the support of the ADB and international environmental funds, while the biogas produced can also be used in the industrial sector, he added.
He also said the government would provide land for additional 500 EV buses, and the successful bidder would be allocated space to establish charging infrastructure. The government will also provide land for depots wherever EV buses operate, he added.
He remarked that the Sindh government has spent billions of rupees on the relocation of utilities, and such projects often face difficulties in metropolitan cities. According to him, there was virtually no progress on the Red Line project during the nine months of the caretaker government. Memon said the issue of mixed traffic lanes on Jinnah Avenue in Lot One (of the Red Line) has been resolved, while work is under way on the augmentation of the K-IV project in Lot Two.
He said that when the Orange Line was under the federal government, its daily ridership was only 2,000, which increased to 9,500 after the Sindh government took over its management.
Similarly, he pointed out, the daily ridership of the Green Line increased from 50,000 to 95,000. The Green Line and the Orange Line have now been integrated, and after the augmentation of both projects, total ridership is expected to exceed 100,000, he added. He also said the PBS is operating successfully in Hyderabad, and a new route from Latifabad to Haider Chowk would be launched before or immediately after Eidul Azha.
Memon said that promoting public transport would reduce traffic congestion on roads, while the use of EV vehicles would also help reduce environmental pollution. After the launch of the PBS, bus travel has become relatively more affordable for motorbike users, he added.
Responding to criticism of the Red Line project, he criticised the Jamaat-e-Islami and said if the same level of attention given to publicity campaigns were to be devoted to local government affairs in the city by the party, the situation can improve.
He also accused several institutions, including K-Electric, of delaying the transfer of utilities. According to him, many transport department projects are under way, but criticism is focused only on the Red Line project.
