Delayed funds release and ROW permissions slowing development of BRT

In a high-level meeting, Secretary Transport and Commissioner Karachi resolved to swiftly release required funds and the Right of Way (ROW) permissions to utility services to shift their network from the BRT’s proposed route. The delayed development work on the BRT project is already causing public ire and adding to the misery of commuters.

The Commissioner Karachi Iqbal Memon summoned an urgent huddle in his office, which was also attended by Mushtaq Sheikh – Additional Secretary Transport, Capt. (R) Altaf Hussain Sario – MD Sindh Mass Transit Authority, and Moonis Abdullah Alvi – CEO K-Electric and Amer Zia – Chief Distribution Officer were also present along with their teams. The meeting was organised in the backdrop of a recent meeting chaired by Sharjeel Memon, who under pressure of upcoming local bodies elections, tried to put blame of delays in the project on Utilities including KE. The discussion during the meeting revolved around how to push the BRT Project, which was earlier subject to criticism from the environmentalist groups like the National Forum for Environmental and Health (NFEH) for cutting a large number of trees from the city, to pick pace.

During the meeting, CEO K-Electric also shared the efforts made to support the mass transit project. In a separate statement issued by KE later in the evening the CEO KE was sighted saying that the company was in fullest support to the project, however also sought a swifter release of funds to expedite work on the project from the power provider’s side.

As per the statement from KE, Moonis Abdullah Alvi also said, “BRT Line is an excellent project that will not only assist the citizens of this city in mass transit but will also reduce the load on roads, making it easier for utilities operating in the city to reach out to its consumers quickly. We are committed to supporting the completion of the project within it’s deadline and are making all efforts to achieve this goal while liaising closely with relevant government stakeholders.