Orange Line BRT: Utility lines being relocated at snail’s pace

KARACHI:

Relocation of the utility lines of BRT Orange line, funded by the Sindh government and launched in the end of December 2015, seems to be proceeding slowly. A visit by The Express Tribune revealed that up till now no relocation work has begun as there was no update in the work carried out during the relocation project’s inauguration.

However, deputy director of the project, Syed Muhammad Taha, insisted that work was under way and several utility lines have already been relocated. He said utility lines were supposed to be relocated from the Board Office Chowrangi till Banaras flyover in the first phase. For this phase, he said the lines of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited have almost been relocated, and those of K-electric. However, work on Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) lines’ relocation is yet to begin, he said.

“SSGC needs to identify their lines,” he said, adding that KWSB pipes are lying at Abdullah College for the purpose of lining. “We don’t want to dig up the roads and clog traffic, much before the start of the work,” he said. According to him, the relocation time was of three months and hardly one month has been passed yet so they are hopeful of finishing the work on time.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd,  2016.