• Caretaker CM calls for completion of federal-funded scheme from Numaish to Radio Pakistan building
• Centre cancelled contract with construction firm three years ago, meeting told

KARACHI: Abandoned and unfinished for almost three years, the incomplete federal-funded Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Green Line project came on the radar of Sindh caretaker Chief Minister retired Justice Maqbool Baqar on Tuesday when he directed the provincial transport department to take up the issue with Islamabad and ‘pursue’ authorities to complete the second phase of the long-delayed scheme for the greater benefit of Karachiites.

Chairing a meeting to review Karachi’s civic problems, the CM took up the issue of the Green Line project, which is operational from Surjani Town to Numaish but construction work on its second phase on M.A. Jinnah Road had been halted for around two years ago.

The chief minister, in an immediate response to the situation, asked the Sindh transport department to come forward and play their role for the completion of the first BRT scheme in the city, which was launched almost eight years ago in February 2016.

“The CM has directed the transport department to pursue the federal government to construct the Green Line corridor from Numaish to Radio Pakistan,” said a spokesperson for the CM House.

“The contract of the firm working on the corridor has been cancelled. Therefore, it must be re-tendered so that the important project of Green Line could be extended to the Old Radio Pakistan building on M.A. Jinnah Road,” he added.

The meeting was attended by Local Government Minister Mubin Jumani, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab and other officials.

The first phase of the key project took almost six years to complete and became operational in January 2022.

However, the service still remains incomplete as the construction of the last phase — Numaish to Municipal Park near Jama Cloth Market — was abandoned in late 2020 after the contract with the NLC was cancelled by the federal government.

Since then the final phase of the project was lying abandoned depriving hundreds of thousands of Karachiites of economical and comfortable transport service.

Proposal to increase Green Line fare rejected

Meanwhile, the CM turned down a transport department proposal to increase fare of BRT Green Line (from Rs15 to 30 and Rs55 to Rs70) and Intra-District Peoples Bus Service.

Also on Tuesday, the Sindh cabinet gave a six-month extension in the subsidy for the passengers of the People Bus Service.

The transport department proposed an extension of the ongoing subsidy for another six months and said that the addition of 30 new buses would increase the ridership by 12,000 more passengers per day.

It asked the cabinet to approve funds amounting to Rs579.756m as subsidy. The cabinet approved the amount.

Baqar unhappy with SSWMB

During the meeting, CM Baqar expressed disappointment with the performance of the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB), saying that he was not satisfied with its performance and warned the provincial body to improve its services.

“This beautiful city has turned into heaps of filth and garbage. The Sindh government is spending billions of rupees on the cleanliness of the city but even then there is no visible difference,” the statement quoted CM Baqar as saying.

The chief minister directed the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) to conduct an audit of all the dangerous buildings, and report the actions taken to prevent the loss of lives in such buildings.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2023