KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed Karachi Mass Transit Authority (KMTS) to complete remaining work on BRT Orange Line corridor by the end of this month so that from the beginning of next month, it could be made operational.
He issued these directives while presiding over a meeting here at CM House. The meeting was attended by Minister Transport Sharjeel Memon, Advisor Law Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput, Chairman P and D Hassan Naqvi, Secretary Finance Sajid Jamal Abro, Secretary Transport Haleem Shaikh, and other concerned officers.
Transport department, giving briefing to the chief minister, said that 95 percent of work on the 3.8-kilometer orange line had been completed. It has eight doors to be installed at its four stations and one depot. The chief minister directed Minister Transport Sharjeel Memnon to expedite the completion of civil work of the corridor so that it could be started with 20 buses.
Mr Shah gave a date line to the Mass Transit Authority to complete the work by the end of current month and from the first week of June, he would start its service. “I won’t accept any excuse to delay it further,” he said and added he had already released the required amount of Rs2 billion. The BRT Orange Line starts from TMA Orangi to Jinnah University for Women near the Board Office.
Peoples Intra-district bus service
The chief minister was given a detailed briefing on the over Rs8 billion project. According to the briefing, the Sindh Peoples Intra-district Bus project is initiated by the Sindh government through Sindh Mass Transit Authority. The NRTC has been assigned the project to procure 250 buses initially, of which 240 would operate in Karachi (intra-city) on seven routes and 10 buses for Larkana.
The chief minister was told that infrastructure revamping, maintenance pit activation, painting and water boring works has been initiated at UP-Morr Depot. 39 out of 644 bus shelters have been constructed at route three.
To a question, the chief minister was told that 120 out of 250 buses have been shipped from Shanghai port. Six bus depots would be licensed to NRTC which include Surjani town bus depot, UP Morr bus depot, Mehran bus depots, Gulshan-e-Ghazi bus depots, Gulshan-e-Behar bus depots, Larkana bus depot. Out of six bus depots, two Surjani bus depots and Up Morr bus depot have been officially handed over to NRTC.
The chief minister gave a date line to the Mass Transit Authority to receive 49 buses by May 15 and remaining fleet latest by June 20. “WE have to resolve the transport issue of the city and it must be given top priorities,” he said and directed the Transport Minister to personally monitor infrastructure development works and arrival of the buses in time.