Orange Line BRT expected to start in June
The Sindh chief minister wants the BRT Orange Line corridor to be ready by the end of May so that at least 20 buses can be running in June.
Officials told Murad Ali Shah that 95% of work on the 3.8km Orange Line is done. Eight doors have to be installed at four stations and one depot.
A meeting was held Monday at CM House. Minister for Information and Transport Sharjeel Memon, Advisor Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput, Planning and Development Chairperson Hassan Naqvi, Secretary Finance Sajid Jamal Abro, Secretary Transport Haleem Shaikh and other officers attended.
“I won’t accept any excuse to delay it further,” the chief minister said, adding he had released the Rs2 billion required to wind up the construction. The chief minister directed Memon to speed up work on the corridor so that it could be started with 20 buses.
The BRT Orange Line starts from TMA Orangi and connects with the Green Line at Jinnah University for Women near the Board Office.
The chief minister was given a briefing on the Rs8 billion project of intra-district bus service.
The Sindh Peoples Intra-district Bus project is initiated by the Sindh government through the mass transit authority. At least 250 buses have been shipped from Shanghai port. Out of the total buses 240 would operate in Karachi (intra-city) on seven routes and 10 buses in Larkana.
The license of six bus depots — namely Surjani town Bus depot, Up-Morr Bus depot, Mehran Bus depot, Gulshan-e-Ghazi Bus Depots, Gulshan-e-Behar bus depots and Larkana Bus depot — would be provided to National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation.
Out of the six bus depots, Surjani Bus depot and Up Morr Bus depot have been officially handed over to the NRTC.
At least 39 out of 644 bus shelters have been constructed at different routes.
The chief minister was told that infrastructure revamping, maintenance pit activation, painting and water boring works have been initiated at UP-Morr Depot.
A deadline was given to the Mass Transit Authority to receive 49 buses by May 15 and the remaining fleet latest by June 20. “We have to resolve the transport issue of the city and it must be given top priority,” the chief minister said and directed the transport minister to personally monitor infrastructure development works and arrival of the buses in time.