KARACHI, Jan 8: City Nazim Karachi Naimatullah Khan has said that more than six corridors have been determined for the operation of mono-train in the city and some multi-national companies of Japan, Germany, China and a few from Muslim countries have shown interest in the project.

He was talking to a delegation of the urban transport department of Kuala Lumpur at the city government complex on Wednesday.

The delegation is on a visit of the city at the invitation of the City Nazim to examine the transport problems and to study the mono-rail project.

The meeting was also attended by DCO Shafiqur Rehman Paracha, EDO (enterprise and investment promotion) Shah Mahmood Hussain, director-general mass transit programme Malik Zahirul Islam, and other officials of the investment promotion and mass transit department, besides experts from the NED University, Urban Resource Centre and the transport sector.

The Nazim referred to the growing transport problems in Karachi and said that minibuses and coaches had been creating environmental pollution. Therefore, he added, improvement in transport system would not only solve the problem but also prove to be a profitable business for investment and it was for this reason that renowned multi-national companies had been taking interest in it and the city government would welcome the investors and experts from Kuala Lumpur.

Naimatullah Khan pointed out that there were certain problems and difficulties in the mass transit programme as a result of which work could not be started on the project despite a lapse many years.

He said that people continued to suffer from transport problems and there was no major transport project in Karachi. The mono-train project, he added, would certainly become a success and investors should explore their participation on a BOT basis.

He said that the city government fully enjoyed the support of the federal and Sindh governments for bringing improvement in transport system and, therefore, international investors would get all facilities.

He told the delegation that Karachi is a city of manpower where educated youth are available in abundance and multi- national companies would not face any problem.

The delegation leader, Dr Leong, said that the public transportation system development of Kuala Lumpur was serious in studying and devising solutions to the transport problems of Karachi. He said that they also wanted transfer of technology and expertise to Karachi.

He pointed out that many errors had been identified when a mono-rail project was started in Kuala Lumpur and, therefore, this project could be implemented in a better way in Karachi. He added that the mono-rail project in Kuala Lumpur had been running successfully and its implementation here would greatly help solve this city’s transport problems. Besides, it would increase economic activities and help provide jobs to the youth.

DCO Karachi asked the delegation to study the transport problems of the city with a deep insight and advise the city government on carrying out its planning in this regard.

Earlier, DG mass transit programme briefed the delegation about Karachi’s transport issues, whereafter the Malaysian experts gave a briefing about important transport schemes and particularly referred to an offer which a Japanese government had made to them and which was completed by Malaysia in 40 per cent less cost.

They said that 80 per cent system was locally fabricated there and as such it had assumed the status of an industry.—APP