KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed transport department to complete the infrastructure of Orange Line project, get the Red Line ADB loan effective and finalize the design of Yellow Line so that work on them could be started in the larger interest of the Karachi city.
This he said on Tuesday while presiding over a meeting of the Sindh Transport Department to review the progress of BRT systems. The meeting was attended by Transport Minister Awais Qadir Shah, P&D chairman M Waseem, Administrator Karachi Iftikhar Shallwani, Commissioner Karachi Sohail Rajput, Secretary Transport Shaiq Ahmed and project consultants.
The chief minister said the BRT projects planned by his government have started maturing, therefore, the transport department should set a timeline for their groundbreaking.
Orange Line renamed as BRT Abdul Sattar Edhi, is a 3.88 kms which has four bus stations and one terminal, has been launched by the provincial government from its resources for Rs2.36 billion. Its route starts from TMA office Orangi Town to Jinnah University for Women Nazimabad, Karachi. M/s NESPAK is the design and supervision consultant of the project.
Transport Minister Awais Qadir Shah told the chief minister that infrastructure of the BRT has almost been completed but was delayed due to completion of the Green Line because it has to integrate with it. The chief minister directed him to complete the remaining work and report to him.
P&D chairman Mohammad Waseem told the chief minister that the BRT Red line has three packages, including engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) and operation design; the other one was Project Management, Coordination and Capacity Building (PMCCB), he said and added under this package the capacity building of Sindh Mass Transit Authority and TransKarachi BRT Company was in progress. The third package is Operation, Design and Business Management (ODBM). Under this package the consultant developing operational plans, financial model, transport model and bus industry restructuring.
Minister Transport Awais Qadir Shah said all the consultants and TransKarachi would be supporting the Sindh government in undertaking procurement to select contractors for civil works and suppliers for all project equipment such as BRT vehicles, intelligent transport systems and fare systems.
Replying to a question of the chief minister, Awais Qadir Shah said the consultants responsible for detail engineering design have almost finalized the design and draft version of drawing and have submitted for review and comments of the project director.
Chairman P&D told the chief minister that the project consultant selection committee has short-listed the pre-qualified consultants and now waiting for Asian Development Bank's NOC for issuance of RFP.
It may be noted that the Red Line project cost is Rs74,679.4 million.
Yellow Line: The World Bank on the request of the chief minister agreed to undertake Yellow Line project with the objective to improve urban mobility, accessibility and road safety in Karachi, through construction of the Yellow Line BRT Corridor, including 22 km long Yellow Line BRT corridor, drainage, lighting, bus ways, stations, terminals and depot.
Chairman P&D Mr Waseem said the concept paper of the project has been cleared by the PDWP which has been sent to the Planning Development and Reforms Planning Commission for consideration and approval in the CDWP.
The CM was told that the PC-1 was prepared, based on the preliminary design, for Rs61 billion which has been approved by ECNEC.
Transport Minister Awais Qadir Shah said Yellow Line would be a 22 km long route starting from Dawood Chowrangi, Korangi via Korangi 8000 road and Korangi Road via Shahrah-e-Faisal and Sharae Quaideen and it would integrated at Numaish BRT station. He added that it would have eight Underpasses and two Elevated U-turns, 268 diesel Hybrid Technology buses, and 28 stations, including 22 at grade and six underground.
The chief minister directed the Transport department to start the procurement process to procure consultancy services for preparation of detailed design. Awais Qadir Shah said that hiring of key positions such as environment, communications, gender, social, procurement and financial management specialist was under process.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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