University Road is one of Karachi’s busiest arteries and the location of what should have been a transformative public transport project. Instead, over the past four years, it has become an enduring symbol of administrative inefficiency and broken promises. Although the Red Line BRT project was announced in 2017, the large-scale excavation and road closures that brought commuters’ lives to a standstill began in 2022. Since then, one deadline after another has been missed. Instead of getting a modern transport system, commuters have endured endless diversions, dust, traffic congestion, damaged vehicles and avoidable economic losses. Infrastructure projects of this scale inevitably cause temporary inconvenience. What is far more difficult to justify is inconvenience without visible progress. The people of Karachi deserve transparency regarding project costs, revised timelines and responsibility for the enormous delays.
Riaz Mahar
Sukkur
