KARACHI: The first meeting of the provincial coordination and implementation committee (PCIC) was held here on Monday to discuss schemes of water supply, sewerage treatment and disposal, solid waste management, stormwater drains, improvement of internal roads and mass transit system.

The meeting was chaired by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and attended by Corps Commander Karachi Lt Gen Hamayun Aziz, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, Major General Aqil, P&D chairman Mohammad Waseem, CM’s secretary Sajid Jamal Abro, Administrator Iftikhar Shahalwani, Commissioner Sohail Rajput, transport and local government secretaries and other concerned.

Federal secretaries of planning and railways also participated in the meeting through a video link from Islamabad. Mr Waseem gave a detailed presentation on the projects in progress, or to be launched and completed under the Rs1.1 trillion Karachi Transformation Plan launched by Prime Minister Imran Khan earlier this month.

Stormwater drains

The meeting was told that there were seven schemes of stormwater drains costing Rs258.7 billion. They are as follows: clearance of Lyari and Malir rivers and Gujjar, Mehmoodabad and Orangi nullahs. “DHA-Karachi stormwater drainage is a Rs10 billion scheme.”

It was informed that the project would be completed by 60 per cent till July 2021 and the remaining 40pc by July 2022. The resettlement of the people living there would cost Rs4bn. The meeting discussed different options to compensate the affected people.

Murad chairs maiden meeting of provincial committee

The chief minister was informed that the federal government had a plan to build 12,000 flats at a cost of Rs36bn to accommodate the affected people there.

The meeting was informed that roads or expressways astride Gujjar, Mehmoodabad and Orangi nullas and remaining portion of Lyari Expressway would be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs130bn by July 2022 under a public-private partnership mode.

Under a World Bank-assisted project (SWEEEP) ‘cleaning of waste from nullahs, temporary storage and de-watering facilities’ at a cost of Rs1.7bn would be launched.

The meeting was told that 10 schemes of stormwater drains and nullahs had been launched by the provincial government for Rs3bn against which Rs1.6bn had been utilised so far and this year Rs6 million was allocated.

Rs250bn Chinese loan for KCR

The meeting was informed that the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) was a Rs300bn project and Rs250bn was a Chinese loan.

The chief minister said that a scheme of Rs26m had been launched for construction of boundary/fencing along KCR alignment. He directed the transport secretary to expedite the fencing work.

The CM was informed that construction of underpasses/flyovers for railway crossings along the KCR route would cost Rs5bn.

It was told that Rs1.85bn had been allocated for operationalisation of trains on existing KCR alignment.

The meeting noted that the Green Line bus rapid transit (BRT) system was a 27-km-long project with an estimated cost of Rs24.6bn.

It was pointed out that Rs19.5bn had been utilised so far and the project would be completed by June 30, 2021.

It was further informed that Rs11bn needed for the operationalisation of buses and the federal government allocated Rs7.9bn and it would be completed by June 30, 2021.

The meeting was informed that the provincial government had launched 4.5-km-long BRT Orange Line project for Rs2.36bn and so far Rs1.52bn was utilised. It would also be completed by June 2021.

The provincial government is also launching a 21-km-long Yellow Line project for Rs61.44bn. The WB and Asian Development Bank are financing the projects.

Rs60-70bn needed for K-IV completion

The meeting was informed that the K-IV water supply project had been launched to add additional 260 MGD of water to Karachi in the first phase.

An amount of Rs11.30bn had been utilised and the remaining funds required for the project would be around Rs60bn to Rs70bn.

The augmentation of the existing bulk water supply system linked with K-IV, phase-I, would be funded through WB.

The meeting was told that 30 MGD water supply scheme for district South was being launched under the public-private partnership mode for Rs7bn and the provincial government was also launching a Rs6bn project to revamp the Hub water supply system on the same mode.

The chief minister said that 30 schemes pertaining to water supply had been launched by his government for Rs17.50bn and so far Rs3.10bn had been utilised.

The meeting was informed that eight schemes of sewerage treatment and disposal worth Rs162.6bn had been launched against which the provincial government from its own resources and the donor agencies had spent Rs12.42bn.

It was told that the Greater Karachi Sewerage Plan, commonly known as S-III, was a Rs36.2bn project against which Rs10.70bn had been utilised so far.

The meeting was told that the treatment plant at Korangi (TP-IV) of 180 MGD would be financed through a World Bank project. It is a Rs20bn project and under consideration of central development working party. The TP-IV tertiary treatment of 100 MGD is a Rs34bn project and the TP-I (tertiary treatment) of 100 MGD is a Rs25bn project.

The World Bank-funded Karachi Water & Sewerage Services Improvement Project (KWSSIP) Phase-I is a Rs14.7bn project.

The chief minister directed the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board to accelerate pace of work on the project so that it could be completed within the next five years.

Another World Bank project which came under discussion was infrastructure and services components (parks, internal roads and sewerage). It would be financed through a Rs33.6bn ‘CLICK’ project.

The chief minister said that 12 schemes pertaining to sewerage system had been launched by the provincial government through its annual development programme (ADP).

Six garbage transfer station to be set up

The meeting was told that two schemes with an estimated cost of Rs14.86bn each were launched for solid waste management.They include establishment of six garbage transfer stations with material recovery and refuse derived fuel.

The provincial government had launched the project from its own resources and in the current financial year Rs1bn was allocated in the ADP.

The meeting was informed that there were four schemes worth Rs62.30m for improvement of internal roads while Rs27bn Malir Expressway was being launched on the public-private partnership mode.

The chief minister said that the groundbreaking of the project would be held next month.

It was informed that link road from M-9 to N-5 would be constructed for Rs6.5bn and two roads in Korangi and Malir would be constructed with an estimated cost of Rs2.9bn.

It was informed that there were 83 ADP schemes of internal roads in Karachi for Rs25.9bn.

The meeting constituted working committees under the Karachi commissioner and KMC administrator so that projects under the Karachi Package could be launched at the earliest.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2020