The 40th meeting of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Policy Board of the Sindh government held on Thursday decided to launch a number of important projects, including procurement and operations of buses for the Yellow Line BRTS, the establishment of an oil palm tree nursery and a related tissue culture laboratory. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah chaired the meeting at the CM House.
Transport Minister Sharjeel Memon told the CM that with collaboration between the federal and Sindh governments, a comprehensive solution to Karachi’s urban mobility problem was underway by implementing a bus rapid transit system (BRTS), as planned under the Karachi Urban Transport Master Plan (KUTMP) of 2030. He added that in order to implement KUTMP, the transport department conceived a project which included the supply and operations of buses for the Yellow Line BRTS under a PPP contract with a concession period of 10 years. According to Memon, private operators would finance, procure, supply, operate, and maintain various systems such as bus fleets, intelligent transport systems, fare collection, depot equipment etc. and provide related services.
The meeting was told that the World Bank would provide 50 per cent of the project’s cost – which means the development and operation of the BRT Yellow Line Corridor — and the rest of the amount would be arranged by the private partners of the project.
The private partners would also develop the marketing strategy to sensitize potential investors’ participation in the bidding process and assist the Sindh Mass Transit Authority during the procurement of buses. The PPP Policy Board accorded approval to the concept of the project as well as to initiating the procurement process to carry out feasibility studies and transaction advisory services in relation to the supply and operation of buses for the Yellow Line BRT Project. Minister Environment & Climate Change Ismail Rahoo told the meeting that Pakistan annually imported 4.5 million tons of edible oil worth $5 billion, the second highest import bill after petroleum products.
