‘Malir Halt-Numaish corridor to start soon’

The construction of a corridor from Malir Halt to Numaish, under the Red Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, is expected to start this month, the arrangements for which are being finalised, Karachi Commissioner Navid Ahmed Shaikh was told during a meeting he was presiding over on Tuesday.

In the meeting, called to review the arrangements for the construction, transport secretary Shariq Ahmed called to the mind that the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council had approved the project so that it had two corridors - one extending across a length of 27 kilomteres from Malir Halt to Numaish and another between Numaish to Merewether Tower - and over Rs70 billion had been allocated for the scheme.

Stating that the construction of the corridor connecting Malir Halt and Numaish was expected to start this month, the secretary further said 16 stations would be built along the corridor, which would run through Model Colony, Safoora Goth and Nipa, and pass by the Met Office, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Safari Park, Federal Urdu University of Science and Technology, Baitul Mukarram Mosque, Civic Centre, Askari park, Dawood University of Engineering and Technology and Society Office.

Addressing the meeting, the Karachi commissioner maintained that the Sindh government had been making all-out efforts to improve traffic management in the city and improve public transport.

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"The Red Line project will help government achieve its goal of providing better transport facilities to citizens and improve the city's transport system," he said.

Besides, he directed civic agencies to extend their complete support to the project, so that it was completed on time. For the purpose, the commissioner constituted a work group of the relevant civic agencies and directed them to work in close coordination with the transport department and cooperate with it.

The group comprises officials of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, district municipal corporations, traffic police, Traffic Engineering Bureau and K-Electric.

Moreover, the commissioner instructed transport department officials to consult and schedule meetings with the traffic police and Traffic Engineering Bureau to address the issues of traffic congestion and ensure that the construction of the Red Line project did not cause any problems relating to traffic.

Alternate should be allocated for both, vehicular and pedestrian traffic, during the construction, in consultation with the Traffic Engineering Bureau and traffic police, he stressed.