Blue Line BRT in doldrums

Sindh govt fails to honour commitment with real estate developer

KARACHI: The grand plans to connect a gated community off Super Highway to the rest of the city with the Blue Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) continue to be stuck in limbo as the private real estate developer, Bahria Town, which was willing to construct the BRT, has withdrawn its proposal lying with the Sindh government after three long years of negotiations.

It was the first such project to take concrete shape in the city. It appears that red tape and the Sindh government's apathy are the main reasons behind the withdrawal.

The Blue Line is part of the six BRT corridors proposed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) to improve the traffic situation in Karachi. However, the case of the Blue Line is different from that of the other BRT lines as it was being funded by a private real estate developer.



The Blue Line's segregated infrastructure was planned to be constructed from DHA City on Super Highway all the way to Tower through Sharae Pakistan. However, it was later decided that it will be constructed from alAsif Square up to Gurumandir, from where it will join the federal government-funded Green Line BRT's segregated infrastructure, which is under construction all the way from Surjani Town to Tower.

Tedious approval process

The process of getting approval for a BRT, even if you have the funds sorted out, can be tedious. When the real estate giant showed interest in the Blue Line BRT, they submitted an unsolicited proposal to the Sindh government.

They wrote a letter to the Sindh government in April 2014. The summary, according to an official of the Sindh government, was approved by the government and the developer was then asked to submit a proposal. It was then that Exponent Engineering Pvt Ltd was hired as a consultant for the project by Bahria Town.



For undertaking the BRT project, Bahria Town also took Enrique Penalosa, the mayor of Bagota, Colombia, on board. Also, in September 2016, it signed a framework document with China Railway 20 Bureau Group Corporation (CR20G) for collaboration in undertaking the development of the project. CR20G is a subsidiary of China Railway Construction Corporation Limited and has vast experience in undertaking mass transit projects worldwide.

The first unsolicited proposal for the project was submitted in February 2015, followed by a second one in May 2015, due to certain differences with the Sindh government over its design. After that, the Sindh government was supposed to hire a vetting consultant for the proposal, for which the bidding kicked off as late as in November 2015, shared the official. This also happened when the Green Line BRT came up with complete homework to start its construction all the way from Surjani Town to Guru Mandir.

Initially, it was the Blue Line that was supposed to have a segregated track from Gurumandir to Tower. However, delays in the construction of the Blue Line forced the federal government to take up these tracks as well. It was around this time that the Sindh government told the Blue Line constructors to limit their design to Gurumandir. Therefore, they submitted a third proposal in April last year and the Sindh government finally hired a vetting consultant, Usmani Associates Engineers and Contractors.



After this, Bahria Town was supposed to get a final design approval from the Sindh government, which they couldn't. Bahria Town's vice chief executive, Zain Malik, told The Express Tribune that their unsolicited proposals were being considered only unsolicited proposals.

"Three years is enough time," he said, adding that they hired local and international consultants for the project and their cost of construction was the lowest. However, it is very tough to get approval for such projects from the Sindh government and they can no longer pursue it, he said.

Responding to this, Transport Minister Nasir Hussain Shah agreed that there were delays from the public private partnership department’s end, not the transport department. "Had Bahria Town initiated the project, it would have been better," he told The Express Tribune, adding that now the Sindh government would construct the project on its own at a cost of Rs12.8 billion while the length of the project has been reduced to 11.8 kilometres. Later, he said, the project could be extended from alAsif Square to Bahria Town.

An official of the transport department, Muhammad Athar, said that their vetting consultants, Usmani Associates Engineers and Contractors, would design the BRT's route now. After the bidding and tendering process, he said, the construction work would start from August this year, which would be completed in one year if all goes well.