Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed transport department to complete the infrastructure of Orange Line project, get the Red Line ADB loan effective and finalize the design of Yellow Line so that work on them could be started in the larger interest of the city of Karachi. He was presiding over a meeting of the Sindh Transport department to review the progress of BRT systems on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by Transport Minister Awais Qadir Shah, Chairman P&D M. Waseem, Administrator Karachi Iftikhar Shallwani, Commissioner Karachi Sohail Rajput, Secretary Transport Shaiq Ahmed and project consultants. The chief minister said that the BRT projects planned by his government have started maturing, therefore, the transport department should set a timeline for their groundbreaking. Orange Line: Orange Line renamed as BRT Abdul Sattar Edhi is a 3.88 kms which has four bus stations and one bus terminal has been launched by the provincial government from its resources for Rs2.36 billion. Its route starts from TMA Office Orangi Town to Jinnah University for Women Nazimabad, Karachi. M/s NESPAK is the design and supervision consultant of the project. Minister of Transport Awais Qadir Shah told the chief minister that infrastructure of the BRT has almost been completed but was delayed due to completion of the Green Line because it has to integrate with it. The chief minister directed him to complete the remaining work and report to him. Red Line: Chairman P&D Mohammad Waseem told the chief minister that the BRT Red line has three packages, including engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) and operation design; the other one was Project Management, Coordination and Capacity Building (PMCCB), he said and added under this package the capacity building of Sindh Mass Transit Authority and TransKarachi BRT Company was in progress. The third package is Operation, Design and Business Management (ODBM). Under this package the consultant developing operational plans, financial model, transport model and bus industry restructuring. Minister Transport Awais Qadir Shah said that all the consultants and TransKarachi would be supporting the Sindh government in undertaking procurement to select contractors for civil works and suppliers for all project equipment such as BRT vehicles, intelligent transport systems and fare systems. Replying to a question of the chief minister, Awais Qadir Shah said that the consultants responsible for detail engineering design have almost finalized the design and draft version of drawing and have submitted for review and comments of the project director. Chairman P&D told the chief minister that the project consultant selection committee has shortlisted the prequalified consultants and now waiting for Asian development bank NOC for issuance of RFP.
