Asad Umar directs to uplift pace of work on CPEC projects
China Economic Net
Islamabad: Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Asad Umar has directed to uplift the pace of work on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)’s projects in the Karachi mega city worth billions of rupees.
The minister chaired a meeting on Karachi transport projects here. The Karachi Green Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) projects were reviewed and the pace of work was assessed.
“I directed them to speed up work on CPEC projects in Karachi like other parts of the country. We need to work hard,” Asad Umar told Gwadar Pro after the meeting.
The minister said the government was ensuring quick completion of the CPEC projects as part of the agreements with Iron Brother China.
“This is in our interest. When the projects are completed, we will be the ones to take benefit. Work on all CPEC projects is being completed at fast pace,” he added.
Separately, an official statement said the meeting briefed the minister that the feasibility study of the Karachi Circular Railway would be completed by the end of August 2021.
Umar directed the Ministry of Railways and other authorities to carry out a monthly progress review of the work assigned to the consultants to ensure that the tasks are completed on time.
Sindh Infrastructure Development Co. Ltd. (SIDCL) management also briefed the meeting on the progress of the Green line BRT project. The minister stressed the need for abiding by the timelines agreed for the project, the statement said. The meeting was attended by Secretary Railways Habibur Rehman Gilani and senior officials.
According to Pakistan Railways, the Karachi Circular Railway project will be completed in three phases. The length of the KCR project was 43.13km, including 14.95km on the ground and 28.18km elevated. It would have 24 stations and its per-day ridership would be around 550,000.
The second phase will expand operations to a seven-kilometer track running from Orangi Station to Gilani Station, while the third will see trains running over a nine-kilometre stretch between Gilani Station and Drigh Colony.
The second phase of KCR will cost Rs 8.70 billion, whereas, the third phase would be completed under a public-private partnership.
The BRT Green Line project with intersections has a 24 kilometres long route, which includes 12.7 km elevated, 10.9 km at grade, and 422 meters underground route, and has 25 stations, the statement said.
The phase-II common corridor from Gurumandir up to Municipal Park with a length of 2.5 km has two underpasses at M A Jinnah Road. The state-of-art underground bus terminal with a parking facility and the commercial mezzanine floor has been constructed at Numaish. The construction work on Phase-I was started in 2016.
