BRTS project in Karachi to be delayed

Karachi: The $600 million Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) project of City District Government Karachi (CDGK) is in doldrums due to a lingering dispute between the provincial and city governments on the domain of the important infrastructure development project.

The city government was to launch the project at least four years back in 2006 in collaboration with Asian Development Bank (ADB), which was to add $450 million to the $150 million funds allocated locally.

But, they said, Sindh Government had objected the supervision of the project by city government and wanted to get the project under the Sindh Mass Transit Authority (SMTA) despite the fact that Karachi Mass Transit Cell (KMTC) of CDGK had completed feasibility study of the project. They said the programme fate was hanging in balance since ADB had decided to change its decision of investing on such a project after the provincial government decided to take the programme into its hand and it remained as a disputed project.

The recent visit of Mass Transit Cell of CDGKs officials to Islamabad to further motivate the high ups in the government also failed to produce desired results, as the government did not show any interest to ponder over the issue.

The unnecessary interruption of Sindh Government as it has did not carry out study of the project, has stopped the project at such a time when every thing was to complete within months, they added.

They said, 'the most unfortunate thing is the lack of consensus, between the two governments, which led the ADB to withdraw its investment on such a project of public importance.' ADB Karachi Mega City Sustainable Development Project (KMCSDP) Program, the BRTS, was major project that aims to provide people transport services of the same quality that is available in Western countries. The project encompasses the construction of 11 corridors, which will be built in the four phases.

It is to mention here that in July 2008,on the request of Government of Pakistan, ADB had agreed for funding to the project of urban transport. The urban transport programme cost was $400-450 million including the sub-projects of Development of BRT System for the city, modernisation, linkage of Traffic Signal & Traffic Management System, light rail transit (LRT) preparatory study

Subsequently ADB had fielded a consultation mission to Pakistan from 10-14th November 2008 to finalise the re-packaged programme 'Sindh Urban Mass Transit Development Program, (SUMTDP) Phase-I'. Under the restructured package, the programme included urban transport studies for other cities such as Hyderabad and Sukkur to facilitate development of BRT System in those cities.

The mission submitted Aide Memoire, which reflected serious ADB concerns regarding execution and implementation of the program by SMTA, and stressed for implementation of the programme by Karachi Mass Transit Cell, CDGK.

Subsequently, Director General, ADB in her letter dated 11 December, 2008 to Joint Secretary, BAD, GOP informed that investment programme has been deferred in consideration of some continuous hindrance in this project like no consensus within the government to proceed with the programme, despite lapse of 4 years, major changes in focus, scope and direction of the programme. In the letter ADB had also presented the excuses as the programme was re-configured with new implementation arrangements, approval of PC-l and other status could not be achieved and also the scope of the programme could not be agreed.