KARACHI, Oct 29: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan on Saturday called for early implementation of the Mass Transit Project to control massive traffic congestion in Karachi.

Presiding over a meeting, he gave three weeks to the authorities for the signing of an agreement.

The governor called for first initiating projects providing modern, cost effective and efficient transport facilities.

He observed that on average 400 new cars are registered in Karachi daily and roads are being widened and projects of under and over-passes being implemented.

However, the ever-growing traffic congestion cannot be controlled with these steps and it warrants completion of a mass transit project to provide bulk travelling facilities.

The governor directed that first of all the mass transit corridors for the city from Sohrab Goth to Tower should be completed without any delay.

He asked the City Government to remove the bottlenecks in the way of the project at the earliest.

The first corridor project will be completed on BOT basis at a cost of 289 million dollars.

Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan directed that matters concerning the federal Government should also be sorted out for project implementation and directed that a meeting in this regard be held immediately after Eid.

He said that the Deputy Chief of Planning Commission, Chairman, Pakistan Railways, Federal Secretary Water and Power, Federal Secretary Finance, NEPRA Officials, Secretary Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources, DG OGDC and other officials be invited to the meeting.

The corridor, starting from Sohrab Goth, will have 15 stations and provide commuting facilities to people from Shahrah-i-Pakistan, S M Taufiq Road, Jehangir Road, Guru Mandar and M.A. Jinnah Road up to Tower besides I I Chundrigar Road, Mohammed Bin Qasim Road and Ziauddin Road through a loop from KMC building.

It will be a 17.4-km-long corridor and in the peak hours some 35 to 40,000 people could benefit from the service in an hour in one direction.

The meeting was attended by Transport Minister Adil Siddiqi, Planning and Development Minister Shoaib Bukhari, Nazim Karachi Syed Mustafa Kamal, Principal Secretary Mohammed Saleem Khan, DCO Fazlur Rehman, DG Mass Transit Malik Zahirul Islam, CEO IDC, Brig (Retd) Aftab Siddiqi and other concerned officials. — APP