Trailblazing ceremony of Red Line is expected on August 14

To perform a trailblazing ceremony on August 14, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has instructed transport department to complete the Orange Line project in the next four months for tendering of Red Line. Therefore, the transport department has to accelerate all the awaiting works accordingly. The meeting was attended by Minister Transport Awais Shah, Advisor to CM Murtaza Wahab, Acting Chief Secretary Mohammad Waseem, PSCM Sajid Jamal Abro, Secretary Local Govt Roshan Shaikh, Secretary Law Shariq, Secretary Transport Abbas Detho, MD PPP Unit Khalid Shaikh and others.
Minister Transport Awais Shah briefed chief minister that work on Orange Line is almost at the final stage. At this, the chief minister instructed him to complete it within the next three months and adopt the procedure for procurement of buses, initially with a fleet of 25. He ordered that he want the best buses to be procured whether they may have the sitting capacity of 40 passengers and 80 standing passengers or more long buses with double capacity. He suggested the transport minister to talk to the Green Line project management/federal government to purchase buses of similar look and identical capacity. According to the chief minister, he has already approved Rs962 millions for the construction of the underpass and mezzanine floor at Numaish. He further added that the land for Green Line Bus depot at Surjani Town has been transferred in the name of the project and notification will be issued soon.
The chief minister directed the Transport department to enter into the Facilitation & Implementation Agreement with Green Line project management. For the first three years, the project will be operated by the federal government. Next, for the continuity of operation, it will be transferred to the Sindh government. He also instructed to arrange for shifting of the Truck stand from Maripur to Northern Bye-pass and get a 100-acre of land transferred from BOR for the construction of inter-city bus terminal at Super Highway. The matter of land gaining for Bio-Gas plant at Bhains Colony under Karachi Bus Rapid Transit also came under discussion.
Minister Local Government Syed Nasir Shah said that the land belongs to KMC and he will talk to mayor Karachi to get a piece of 40-acres allocated for an important City project, Red Line Bio-gas plant. He informed that the tender document for the Red Line project is ready and would be floated within a month. However, the advertisement has been released for the appointment of a Supervision Consultant for the project.