KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah presiding over a meeting of Provincial Coordination and Implementation Committee duly attended by provincial and federal government representatives decided to launch Green Line BRT during current month and BRT Yellow Line from March 2022 and directed solid waste management to strengthen front line collection of garbage.
The meeting was attended by Corps Commander Karachi Lt Gen. Mohammad Saeed, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shaha, Advisor Law Murtaza Wahab, Chairman P and D Hassan Naqvi, VC NED Dr Sarosh Lodhi, da, PSCM, Commissioner Karachi Iqbal Memon, Secretary LG, MC KMC, MD Water Board Asadullah Khan, MD SSWMB Zubair Channa, DG PPP Unit Khalid Shaikh, Farhat Kamal GM South WAPDA, Amir Mughal Chief Engineer WAPDA and others. Chairman NDMA Lt Gen. Akhtar Nawaz Satti along with his team attended the meeting through video link.
BRT: The meeting was told that the Green Line BRT Corridor upto Numaish has been completed and Turnstile live has also been tested. Phased commercial operation will be commenced in late December which would be subsequently fully operated in January 2022.
Transfer of funds from government of Sindh especially for Buses, ITS and Integration of the Orange Line with Green Line has been requested. SIDCL has requested the Sindh government to approve Fare on the basis of ‘Input Costs’. At this the chief minister directed the SIDCL to send the summary for cabinet. The cabinet is competent to approve the fare.
Orange Line: BRT Corridor (3.88 km) and all its structures of Bus Depot have been completed and electrical/mechanical and finishing works are in progress and are expected to be completed in the current month, the meeting was told. The procurement of Intelligent Transport System (ITS) and Buses as well as BRT.
Operations for three years have been mandated to the SIDCL. The project has almost been completed. The buses for the project have also been landed in the city. The meeting decided that the BRT Green Line would be launched with 75 buses from the current month.
Solid Waste Management: MD Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) Zubair Channa briefing the meeting said that SSWMB was performing Front-End collection services in District East, South and Malir. The front-end operations of District West which were suspended in the 2018 have been resumed in October, 2020.
The SSWMB is performing Front-end services in five out of seven districts of Karachi and also middle end operations in District Central and Korangi of Karachi and Hyderabad, Qasimabad and Kori Municipal jurisdictions.
Revenue Generation: The meeting was told that Municipal Solid Waste has huge revenue potential in terms of household service not only in the residential areas but all commercial areas and restaurants and industrial units as per law are mandated to pay Municipal Cess/fee for the service which is being provided to them.
Informal sector and unauthorized persons under the patronage of MCs are collecting household fees even in the areas where SSWMB is providing services, it was disclosed. As an estimate there is potential of more than Rs.3.5 billion per annum which can be generated from the residential areas of Karachi alone.
The Board of SSWMB has decided to collect municipal fees from the residential and commercial areas of Karachi and have mandated the management to explore operations for collection of fees. The meeting was told that approximately 15000 industrial units in the city also generate more than 1500-2000 tons of municipal waste. The SSWMB was also exploring options to collect fee/cess each from Industrial units for the municipal services the SSWMB was providing.
Storm water drains: As per report furnished by Municipal Commissioner, KMC, progress on three major nullahs is are follows:
Mehmoodabad Nullah: All the 238 intercepting Units have been demolished whereas an amount of Rs.10,440,000/- has so far been distributed as compensation amongst the eligible locally displaced people LDPs.
Guijar Nullah: All the 4058 intercepting Units have been demolished whereas an Rs.260,730,000/- has so far been distributed as compensation amongst the eligible LDPs.
Orangi Nullah: 1696 intercepting Units out of 1703 have been demolished whereas an Rs.145,080,000/- has so far been distributed as compensation amongst the eligible LPs. Only Industrial Units of Sub-Division SITE are left which will be demolished soon.
The financial assistance to LDPs at rate of Rs.15,000 – per month for two years in biannual instalment of Rs. 90000- each to continue as per procedure in vogue. Sindh chief minister said that his cabinet had decided in June 2021 to resettle LDPs from demolition of around 6500 units. He added that around 250 acres of land, keeping in view the requirement of 80 sq yards each, was required to construct their housing units.
Mr Shah said that Lyari Development Authority (LDA) has been directed to spare 500 acres of land at Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Township (SMBBT). Deh Mandani, Scheme-42, Hawksbay Karachi and Malir Development Authority (MDA) to spare 250 acres of land is in Taiser Town Scheme-45, Karachi.
It seems feasible that the displaced families are to be resettled in a housing unit measuring 80 sq. yards each for which an amount of Rs. 10 billion approximately would be required for the construction of 6500 housing units and to develop infrastructure and amenities out of which Rs.6.5 billion would be earmarked for construction of 6500 housing units and remaining amount of Rs.3.5 billion would be earmarked for infrastructure development and amenities.
K-IV Project: The Project Director, K-IV Project of Sindh government has informed that as per ECNEC decision, the Executing Agency of the Project has been changed from KWSB to WAPDA. The conveyance system of K-IV project (Phase-I) along with the Power component will now be carried out by WAPDA whereas augmentation project will be carried out by Government of Sindh through World Bank-funded project, KWSSIP.
All the site offices including office at Karsaz along with equipment and relevant records have been handed over to WAPDA and physical handing over of complete ROW of 121.9 km after joint survey by WAPDA and KWSB has also been done.
Malir Expressway: The M9-N5 Link Road Project (LP) serves as the Commercial Corridor providing upcountry access to the traffic emanating from Port Qasim, Industrial areas of Landhi, Korangi, and Steel Mill and is located at the heart of Karachi’s three major developments of Bahria Town, DHA City and Education City.
The chief minister was told that five kilometres of land, from KM 7+440 to KM 12+500, belonged to Pak Army, therefore, work has been stopped. At this Corps Commander Karachi Lt Gen. Mohammad Saeed told the chief minister that the NOC for continuing work on military land would be issued latest by Friday.
Malir Expressway will be a 4-lane dualized expressway along the Malir River from Hino Chowk near KPT Flyover to Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway (M-9) near Kathore via link road. The total length of the Malir Expressway will be 39.3 km. The proposed expressway will provide a new southern alternative route for carrying port traffic and traffic from industrial areas to main highways.