Sindh minister gives one-month target to operationalise BRT Orange Line

Provincial govt made payments to SIDCL for procurement of 20 buses for Orange Line, meeting informed Sharjeel Memon

Provincial Minister for Information, Transport and Mass Transit Sharjeel Inam Memon has given a one-month target to Sindh Mass Transit Authority to operational Orange Line.

A meeting was held on Friday under the chair of Sharjeel Memon in which Secretary Transport Sindh Abdul Haleem Sheikh, MD Sindh Mass Transit Authority Altaf Saryo and other officials of the authority participated.

The minister sought all the issues and hindrances in the BRT Orange Line project. He directed the secretary transport Sindh to hold a meeting with Sindh Infrastructure Development Company Limited to expedite the pace of work on the bus service.

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Memon added that he would personally talk to Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal so that the project could be operationalised. The Orange Line should be made operational in a month to facilitate safe and comfortable travelling to the citizens of Orangi Town and adjoining areas, he added.

During the meeting, the provincial minister was given a detailed briefing on the mandate of the Sindh Mass Transit Authority and mass transit projects.

Giving a detailed briefing on Karachi Circular Railway, Blue Line, Brown Line, and other BRTs of the city, it was informed that the BRT Green Line Phase 1 is operational from Surjani Town up to Numaish roundabout, while BRT Yellow, Orange and Red Lines are in the implementation phase.

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The Green Line is a project of the federal government and will be handed over to the Sindh government in three years. It was further informed in the briefing that 98 per cent of civil work of the Orange Line project from Orangi Town to the Board Office has been completed.

The project is completely funded by the Sindh government and is being executed under SIDCL – a federal government company. It was also informed that the Sindh government has made payments to SIDCL for the procurement of 20 buses for Orange Line.