Karachi: Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah and World Bank (WB) Country Director Najy Binhassaine agreed to accelerate the work on the Yellow Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, according to news published on June 1.
CM Murad and WB Country Director Binhassaine in a telephonic conversation discussed the ongoing projects and new investment projects in the pipeline. During the telephonic meeting, it was decided to remove all hurdles to complete the projects for the greater good of the people.
As per the details, the WB is financing Yellow Line BRT under the Karachi Mobility project, at a total cost of USD 382 million. The CM mentioned that the 21-kilometre Yellow Line BRT is among the important corridors. The route starts from Dawood Chowrangi- Korangi Industrial Road and will pass through Jam Sadiq Bridge, KPT Intersection, FTC Interchange, Shahrah-e-Quaideen, Shahrah-e-Faisal till Kashmir Road Intersection.
Moreover, the CM, on the directives of the WB Country Director, asked the Transport Department to hire staff to assist in procurement. In the meeting, it was decided to appoint a project director, and contract management specialists within a month. According to details, the Sindh government will draft documents for package-4 (design of the track from Jam Sadiq Bridge to Numaish/Kashmir Road intersection) to invite bids by July. The CM informed that the work on the design of package-4 was progressing at full speed with structural, parking, hydrological, and traffic studies being almost complete. The work on the perimeter boundary of the project is expected to start by August and civil work is expected to be launched by June 2023.
Reportedly, the CM stated that the collection of property tax was transferred to local bodies; however, they have capacity issues for the collection of tax. During the meeting, it was decided that the property tac collecting staff will be attached with the local bodies.
Additionally, the meeting mentioned that the Karachi Water & Sewerage Services Improvement Project (KWSSIP) was launched for USD 40 million in a bid to improve access to safe water services in the city. CM notified the delegation that the feasibility study was completed in March and the detailed engineering design and tender documents will be completed by July 15.
The next project discussed in the meeting was Sindh Barrages Improvement Project (SBIP). It was launched for USD 219 million in order to improve the provincial irrigation department’s capacity to manage and operate barrages along with improving the safety and reliability of Sukkur and Guddu barrages. The meeting was informed that the works contract will be awarded by June 7.
Iqra holds BS in International Relations and is passionate about writing engaging content on trending real estate topics. When not working, she is either spending time with family, shopping, or discussing shows & movies.
