Orange Line BRT still far from reality

While the two govts point fingers at each other, the buses may take another year to grace the tracks

KARACHI:

After years of back and forth and brimming anticipation, it appears that Karachi’s long-held dream of having an efficient mass-transit system will have to wait at least another year before fulfilment. The November deadline for the Orange Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, issued earlier in 2021, much like previous deadlines, might be hard to meet at the current pace.

The project, which has taken the form of a white elephant, was first started in 2016 under the supervision of the Sindh Mass Transit Authority (SMTA), and was supposed to be completed within a year. Half-a-decade and several ultimatums later, parts of the 3.9 kilometre project are still left hanging in mid-air, including electrical work on four of its stations and the installation of elevators and escalators.

According to a provincial government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, the hurdles in the Orange Line BRT system’s tracks have been deliberately planted by the Sindh government, which appears to be the least interested in procuring buses for the project. “This is reflected in the fact that although the Sindh government should have procured buses for the Orange Line itself, it instead handed over the responsibility to the federal government,” the official claimed.

A year ago, the provincial government had requested the federal government’s Sindh Infrastructure Development Company Limited, to import buses for Orange Line along with the import of buses for the centre’s Green Line project. In addition to that, the company was also requested to run the imported buses on the Orange Line track for at least three years, for which the Sindh government was to pay.

The Green Line BRT on the other hand, which is a project of the federal government and also subject to several bureaucratic and operational delays, finally managed to import its first batch of 40 buses from neighbouring China, last month. This week, the second fleet of 40 buses also reached Karachi port, and all the buses are expected to start to operating from December.

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A concerned officer of Sindh Infrastructure Development Company (SIDCL), said that the work on Sindh government’s Orange Line project has been very slow. Sindh government has just awarded a contract for construction of PSD door. “It would be a miracle if construction work of the Orange Line project is completed by November,” he commented.

However, if all somehow goes as planned, the citizens of Karachi could be looking at efficient transportation from at least Surjani Town to Nomaish Chowrangi, with the inauguration of the much touted Orange Line.

Per an official of the provincial government privy to the case, over 20 buses were to be imported from China for the Orange Line project, which was paid for towards the end of August. After which, the federal government ordered the Chinese company to manufacture the buses. “The Buses will take four to five months to manufacture and 15 days to ship and are expected to arrive in January or February next year. This will be followed by training of drivers and staff, after which the Orange Line will be made operational sometime in March of next year,” the official asserted.

In contrast, Sindh Transport Department Secretary Shariq Ahmed, claimed that the Orange Line bus project is slated for completion by end of this month, while the buses are expected to arrive in December. He however acknowledged that there had been some delays in paying for the buses. “It is the federal government that is tasked with kick-starting the Orange Line, and they have demanded from the Sindh government to also include generators, fuel tanks, washing areas and other technical parts in the project. This surged the cost and we had to get the revised PC-I approved, which halted the works,” the secretary told.

Speaking further, Shariq went on to imply that part of the delays were owed to the attitude of the federal government, towards the provincial government’s operations. Considering that the Sindh government had already guaranteed payment, he believes that the federal government should have ordered purchase of the buses instead of waiting for the funds to be paid off in full. “I however do not want to indulge in blame-gaming. The centre is cooperating so far, we have mutual understanding, and everything is going smoothly. Karachi is on the track to soon experience efficient public transport, like rest of the country,” he told The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 23^rd, 2021.