‘Ghost’ bus projects make way into Sindh

Intercity bus project announced by finance minister gets no mention in budget documents

KARACHI: The Sindh government will get full marks for its desire to set up an intercity transport project which it dutifully reflects in each year’s budget. But when it comes to actual implementation, the government fails remarkably.



This year, Sindh finance minister Syed Murad Ali Shah announced a bus service for intercity operations. “A scheme of induction of 200 buses for intercity have been included in the ADP 2016-17 with Rs500 allocation,” said the minister during his speech on Saturday. However, the actual ADP document for the upcoming year fails to mention any such allocation.

Instead, a ‘Larkana Intercity Project’ for 25 diesel buses is mentioned in this year’s ADP, once again as unapproved project. In last year’s development budget, the government had earmarked Rs100 million for 50 diesel buses for the Larkana Intercity Project and had targeted it be completed by June 2016, subject to approval. The only difference is that this year the targeted completion date has been extended to June 2017 and Rs250 million have been allocated.

Moreover, the ‘60 Intercity Bus Project’ for Karachi has been introduced in this year’s budget as unapproved project. It is targeted to be completed by June 2017 and has been allocated Rs150 million.

Transport secretary Tuaha Farooqui clarified, furthermore, that all these projects are entirely different than the one mentioned in Shah’s speech.



Apart from these three intercity bus projects, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Diesel Buses programme has been a regular feature of the provincial budgets for five consecutive years. It first appeared in the ADP of 2011-12 and then the last time it appeared was in the 2014-15 ADP. In the outgoing fiscal year, the Sindh government completely wiped this project off without offering any explanation and ground work to show.

A Sindh transport department official, who requested anonymity, reasoned that the induction of 200 buses for the intercity project is most likely a part of the ‘Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Diesel Buses’ programme. He was, however, unsure why it was not reflected in the budget document.

Other projects that make a comeback include the construction of bus terminals in Thatta, Badin and at Miro Khan in Kamber Shahdadkot, which have been part of the department’s ADP for two consecutive years with an allocated amount of Rs1.4 billion, the Rehabilitation of Drivers’ Training Schools in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Larkana under public-private partnership. This year too, Rs2 million has been earmarked for the project even though the schools have yet to be established.

Sindh Mass Transit Authority

The finance minister also announced the Sindh government’s intention to introduce Sindh Mass Transit Authority (SMTA) Bill to enhance the capacity of the department to oversee mass transit projects and to ensure transparency. This authority will control the various mass transit projects, including the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), currently under way.

For his part, Karachi Mass Transit Cell director-general Athar Khan said that authority will now look after all of Sindh. Initially, it will cover Karachi-based mass transit projects as they are currently under way. Later, he said, it will expand its scope to the rest of the province.

This year, the government has divided the Red Line BRT into two components. The construction of the Red Line is expected to complete by June 2018 while the detailed designing through the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is targeted to be completed by June 2017.

According to K han, ADB will draft the Red Line design and bear the project’s cost. However, the local components, such as taxes and salaries of workers, will be paid by the Sindh government. Orange Line BRT is also mentioned in this year’s budget with an estimated cost of Rs2.364 billion and targeted completion date of June 2017.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 12^th, 2016.