KARACHI: Karachi Infrastructural Development Company Limited (KIDCL) under Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) project would undertake second segment of building 2-kilometer Green Bus double track elevated portion from Taj Complex to Municipal Park Sabri Chowk.
This development took place after parlays on route alignment between KIDCL and Sindh Mass Transit Department.
The amputation of hurdle between the parties was outcome when both sides agreed on the very fact that KIDCL was at very advance stage and have completed all formalities for construction of elevated portion from Numaish to Municipal Park besides construction of underpass at Numaish has also been mobilised. In addition, serious financial and time delay implications would arise if alterations in the project are embarked on.
Zubair Channa, General Manager Finance and Administration KIDCL Green Line BRTS project informed that removal of internal differences on technical aspects would likely be resolved in next KIDCL meeting after Eid-ul-Azha.
He has maintained that due to running of underground civic services on the track route, it was not possible to run the Green Bus into a tunnel.
This area is also clustered with old buildings and a massive flow of all kinds of vehicular traffic would not permit the Green Bus to run in the tunnel.
He was confident that after KIDCL Board meeting, the work would be started on the elevated track.
CRFG Matracon, the construction company working on Green Bus track from Nazimabad Gul Bahar Chowrangi to Guru Mandar has been awarded this additional responsibility, he informed.
Construction on Numaish Chowrangi underpass by the same constructor would be undertaken in shortest period of time, Zubair added.
The work on 22-kilometer Green Bus track from Surjani Town to Guru Mandar would hopefully be completed by the end of this December, he asserted.
The 24.7 kilometers running route of Green Bus would have 29 Bus Stations with a distance of around one kilometer each.
The total cost of the project comes around Rs 24 billion and federal government would release Rs 13 billion in this fiscal year for the project, he stated.
He revealed that KIDCL has provided the Sindh government with the bus designs, equipment and tendering process for purchase.
Ground plus two Operation and Control Centre (OCC) is being under construction on a bus depot of defunct Sindh Road Transport Corporation vacant site opposite Police Head Quarters on Garden Road .
Cable work at OCC on Integrated Intelligent Transport System having leading-edge information and communication technologies would be given to BLIC, a German firm in September this year.
The OCC will house large screen monitors to oversee the point-in-time situation of fleet, status of buses, terminal stations, close circuit television cameras’ images along with corridor may be selectively displayed at the OCC, he concluded.
Published in Daily Times, August 12th 2017.
