CM Sindh looks to begin work on BRT projects

Issuing multiple directives for the transport department on Tuesday, the CM said he looked begin work on bus rapid transit (BRT) projects soon.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah ordered the transport department to complete the construction of infrastructure for the Orange project, make the loan provided for the Red Line BRTS by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) effective and finalise the design for the Yellow Line project, so that work on these project could be initiated soon.

He issued these directives while presiding over a transport department meeting, called to review the progress of BRT projects.

Speaking about the Orange Line project, Sindh Transport Minister Awaid Qadir Shah told the CM the construction of infrastructure was near completion, but delays in the completion of the Green Line project, which was to be integrated with the former, was holding up the progress.

At this, the CM directed the transport minister to complete the remaining work and report to him.

Speaking about the Red Line project, the transport minister informed the meeting that design for the scheme was expected to be finalised soon, while a design sketch had been submitted to the project director for approval.

The planning and development department chairperson told the CM that the Sindh Provincial Development Working Party had approved the concept paper for the Yellow Line project and the paper was now sent for clearance by the Central Development Working Party.

The transport minister informed him that the hiring for key positions had been completed and for some others was underway.

Instructing the transport minister to take all consultants for the project on board at the earliest, the CM said he intended for the Yellow Line and Red Line projects to be completed within two years.

Administrators' salaries

Separately, the CM ordered the salaries of district municipal corporations' (DMC's) employees in Karachi be issued via Sindh accountant general, so that they could be physically verified before being issued their salaries and ghost and retired employees could be identified and stopped from drawing salaries.

He issued this directive while presiding over a meeting with Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and DMC officials.

Addressing the meeting, the CM said it had been brought to his notice that scores of ghost employees were collecting salaries in the local government department.

"Hence, I have decided that the salaries of local government department's employees will now be issued via Sindh accountant general, so that the payment of salaries to ghost employees, retired employees and those drawing double salaries can be stopped," he elaborated. "This initiative will later be expanded to other divisions, including Larkana, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas, Shaheed Benazirabad and Hyderabad," he added.

Moreover, when told that in some cases junior employees had been drawing salaries equivalent to those of senior officials, the CM directed local government bodies to verify the records of all of their employees to identify irregularities.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 30^th, 2020.