KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah, presiding over a meeting of Green Line Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) project on Friday, discussed three different options for establishing the bus network in Karachi, and directed the concerned departments to work out a detailed plan and submit a proposal within 10 days.
The meeting was attended by Transport Minister Syed Nasir Shah, Communication Secretary Siddique Memon, Planning and Development Department Chairman Mohammad Waseem, Principal Secretary to CM Sohail Rajput, Transport Secretary Saeed Awan, Local Government Secretary Ramzan Awan, Zubair Channa, consultants and others concerned.
During the meeting, the chief minister was told that the federally-funded Green Line BRTS project has attained more than 65 percent physical progress. The original scope of the project from Surjani to Guru Mandir is nearing its completion and will be finalized by the end of December.
It was also mentioned during the meeting that a state-of-the-art, highly automated bus depot was being constructed as part of the project at Surjani Town near Abdullah Chowrangi.
It was also revealed that the company responsible for the construction of the depot, Karachi Infrastructure Development Company Limited (KIDCL), had requested the Sindh government to provide 12-acre land for the establishment of a bus depot. However, the Sindh government had only allotted four acres of land which were not enough for the depot. The CM directed his principal secretary and the transport secretary to work out the solution to this problem and to arrange an extra eight acres of land for the depot.
The detailed route of the buses was also discussed in the meeting. Three options relating to the construction of a portion of the route between Numaish and Municipal Park were discussed, including the reduction of lanes for general traffic to two in place, the construction of an underpass at MA Jinnah Road and the construction of an elevated structure for the buses.
The CM concluded the meeting saying that a thorough deliberation on all three proposals should be done among the experts during the next 10 days. “After 10 days I will hold another meeting to take a final decision so that the work stopped at Numaish could be resumed,” he said.
