Nawaz gives Karachi a taste of the metro

• PM lays foundation stone of Rs 16.85b Green Line BRT, says it will be more beautiful than the Lahore metro
• Reiterates resolve to persist with the Karachi operation until complete elimination of terrorism
• Sindh CM says federal govt has agreed to a fifty-fifty partnership on power and water projects in the province

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday performed the groundbreaking ceremony for Karachi’s Green Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, while also expressing his commitment to fully restore peace in the port city by continuing the operation in Karachi till the elimination of the last terrorist from the city.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony for the Rs 16.85 billion Green Line BRT at Nazimabad’s Anu Bhai Park, Prime Minister Nawaz said that Karachi’s Green Line will be even more beautiful than the Lahore metro.

“The elevated section is 11.7 km long, while 7.7 km length is on the ground,” he said. “There will be 22 bus stations and separate lanes for coming and going.”

Upon his arrival in Karachi earlier, the prime minister was received by Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad Khan and Rangers Director General Major General Bilal Akbar at the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Faisal airbase.

During an informal meeting held at PAF airbase, the prime minister received briefings from the DG Rangers and IG Sindh on the law and order situation in Karachi.

The meeting continued for an hour and the premier was briefed about the achievements made in Karachi operation.

“People are happy over the Karachi operation and atmosphere of fear no longer prevails in the city. Peace in Karachi will be restored fully,” he said, adding that the Karachi operation will continue till restoration of complete peace and tranquility in the city of Quaid.

He reiterated his resolve that facilitators of the terrorists would be eliminated from across the country. He said that the security forces should complete investigations soon in the light of revelations made by arrested terrorists.

DATE OF COMPLETION, LATE NEXT YEAR:

About the metro system, the prime minister said that the Green Line was to meet the Blue Line at Gurumandir and then go on to Tower. But because work was delayed on the Blue Line, he asked for the Green Line to be extended to the central business district.

The BRT will make life easy for residents of the areas it passes through, he said.

Lauding the transparency, efficiency and cost-savings on the project, the premier expressed hope that it would be completed by next year, but he said that he could not promise that it would be completed by April or May.

Work will start on the Lyari Expressway in March, for which the federal government has released Rs 1.9 billion already, he said, adding that the work on the Karachi-Hyderabad motorway has started, while construction of the Hyderabad-Sukkur section of the motorway is set to start within a month. The Sukkur-Multan and Multan-Lahore sections will also start soon, he said.

“These mega projects not only close distances, but also brings people’s hearts closer,” the prime minister said.

FIFTY-FIFTY PARTNERSHIP:

Sindh Chief Minister Shah thanked the prime minister for cooperating with the Sindh government on the mass transit project.

“There are five other lines to complete,” he said, adding, “We will try to complete them in two, two and a half years.”

“However, Karachi is also in need of power and water. In that matter, the prime minister said the federal government will partner with Sindh fifty-fifty. These projects have been started… and we hope the bulk of them will be completed within two and a half years,” he said.

Qaim took notice of the improved security situation in Karachi and praised the Rangers and police for ensuring the city and province remained peaceful.

Governor Ishratul Ibad said work on the Lyari Expressway will be started within 10 days, and that construction of the various BRT lines has already started.

He requested the prime minister to help the Sindh government with the planned Malir Expressway ─ “a new artery” for Karachi and the Circular Railway and asked him to order that the projects be expedited.

The Green Line starts at Surjani Town and is to end at Municipal Park, MA Jinnah Road and will benefit nearly 300,000 passengers per day, Radio Pakistan reported. The project is expected to be completed within one year.

The prime minister first announced the project at a high level meeting in July 2014. The project is to be completed with an estimated cost of Rs 16.85 billion, which will be funded by the federal government, an official said earlier.

The project aims to construct a bus-way, dedicated for BRT vehicles, in the median of roads along the entire length of the proposed route.

The bus stations will be built in the median, with ground-level and elevated sections with the purpose of providing high speed and high capacity service.

Seven corridors had been identified under the Karachi Master Plan for introducing the mass transit system.

The design capacity of the proposed BRT system with passing lanes provision will increase based on the number of direct and express services run between stations in the future, as required.

Special Assistant to the CM Omer Rehman Malik had said that the project, which would be a 26km-long route with 24 stations, had been designed to provide transport to 150,000 commuters daily and it would be completed by 2017.