Sharjeel assures of land acquisition for Red Line BRT

Provincial Minister for Information, Transport and Mass Transit Sharjeel Inam Memon held a meeting with Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Agence Francaise De Development (AFD) delegation on Monday regarding Red Line BRT project and assured Sindh government full support and cooperation in completing the infrastructure in 24-month time.

ADB has $225 million and AFD $7 million riding on the 26km-long Red Line BRT which will run from Malir to Merewether Tower and back. The Red Line buses will run on biogas, a pioneering idea for sustainable and green energy public transport in the country.

The delegation included ADB Senior Urban Development Specialist Lloyd Wright, CEUW-ADB in-charge Jia Heeyong, Senior Project Officer ADB Umar Ali Shah, and AFD Transport Task Team Lead David Margonsztern.

Sindh Transport Secretary Abdul Haleem Sheikh, Sindh Mass Transit Authority Managing Director Altaf Sario, Trans Karachi CEO Wasif Ijlal were also present.

ADB Senior Urban Development Specialist Transport Lloyd Wright briefed the minister that the Red Line project is environment friendly, and totally different from other BRTs including Green Line, Yellow Line, Orange Line and others.

Wright pointing out issues of the project, he said that there was issue of land for construction of two depots of the project and transfer of 32 acres of land for construction of biogas plant. Sharjeel told the ADB that Red Line is a biogas project, "we want it to be replicated in Hyderabad and other major cities of the province."

He assured that the process of land transfer for BRT Red Line Depot will be expedited adding that he will personally look into the transfer of 32 acres of land for a biogas plant of the project .

Orange Line BRT buses

Sharjeel Memon has announced that a ship carrying 20 buses for Abdul Sattar Edhi Orange Line Bus Rapid Transit Service (BRT) would reach Karachi port from China on Wednesday, May 11.

The announcement from Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon, who also holds the portfolio of transport, came during his visit to the site of the project. "Some 20 buses of Orange Line project are arriving at Karachi Port on May 11," he announced.

Memon was briefed by officials about the pace of work to complete the long-awaited project. During his visit, the Sindh transport minister directed Sindh Mass Transit Authority to set up a camp office at the depot of Orange Line.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Monday, Sharjeel Memon said that he condemns PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s campaign against the state institutions of country. He said that Imran Khan was trying to make national institutions controversial to avoid punishment for his corruption.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 10^th, 2022.