The Sindh government has cancelled the construction contract for the long-delayed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Red Line project on University Road and will re-award it on an “emergency basis”, Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon confirmed on Wednesday.
The government cancelled the contract for the Mosamiyat-Numaish section of the project.
The stalled construction on the Red Line resumed in November after the removal of several bottlenecks following the chief minister’s intervention, but there is still no clear timeline in sight for the project’s completion as thousands of University Road commuters continue to face daily hardships.
Memon confirmed that the contract had been terminated due to delays in the project’s execution by the contractor.
He said the contractor was issued several warnings to complete the work within the stipulated time, but failed to comply.
The government, he added, tried its level best to accommodate the contractor by resolving issues related to rate escalation.
Memon added that the Asian Development Bank, which funds the project, was unhappy with the pace of work, as were stakeholders concerned about environmental impact.
He said the remaining work on the Red Line project would now be contracted out on an emergency basis.
“To ensure early completion, the remaining work will be split into smaller packages and awarded to more than one contractor,” he added.
Separately, Memon said that environmental protection is a shared responsibility of all of us and collective measures are indispensable for it. Issues like climate change and environmental pollution have become a threat not only to Pakistan but also to the whole world.
In his message on the occasion of Earth Day, Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said that the Sindh government is working on various projects to protect the environment. The cooperation and role of the public is indispensable for protecting the environment.
He said that the people should make measures like planting trees, avoiding water waste and taking special care of cleanliness a part of their daily lives. The Sindh government is committed to creating a clean, green and sustainable environment.
SHC bins plea seeking de-sealing of BRT Red Line project side
The Sindh High Court (SHC) heard a petition challenging the decision on Wednesday. A two-member bench headed by Justice Mohammad Saleem Jessar presided over the hearing and directed the appointment of an observer to visit the site of the BRT Red Line project.
The court stated that the observer will prepare a list of the machinery present at the site. During the hearing, the petitioner’s lawyer, Barrister Salahuddin Ahmed, contended that the contractor’s office and the site be de-sealed and argued that the contract for the project was given to a Pakistani and a Chinese company.
“TransKarachi provided the design of the BRT Red Line project to the contractor after two-and-a-half years.”
He further argued that “a board formed to resolve the dispute also held the government responsible for the delay, deciding to pay the contractor Rs3.7 billion in additional expenses”.
The petitioner’s counsel elaborated that a day earlier, Mukhtiarkar, police, and the deputy commissioner “misused their powers by sealing the office,” adding that they did not hold the authority to seal the office.
Ahmed further informed the court that machinery “worth a billion rupees” was present at the site. The petitioner requested the court to order the de-sealing of the contractor’s office; however, the court rejected the request.
The two-member bench also issued notices to TransKarachi, the Sindh government, Mukhtiarkar, police, and DC East and adjourned the hearing to April 29.
Designed to cover around 27 kilometres from Malir Halt to Numaish via University Road, the BRT Red Line project was announced in 2017 with an initial cost of around Rs79 billion, but due to persistent delays and mismanagement by the provincial government, the estimated cost has now escalated to Rs103bn.
After commencement of the work in early 2022, the project was initially scheduled for completion by 2023, which was later pushed to 2024 and subsequently extended to the end of 2026.
For many, even the revised timeline appears to be wholly unrealistic as the project continues to progress at a snail’s pace. Various factors have been cited by officials to justify these delays, including disputes with contractors, safety stoppages, rising construction costs due to depreciation of the rupee, difficulties in land acquisition, relocation of utilities and coordination failures between implementing agencies.
In December of last year, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah directed authorities to expedite work on the line during an inspection of the project from Malir Cantonment to Numaish. He was told that delays were because of heavy rains, utility relocation issues and design changes.
In September, the SHC said that all stakeholders should be taken on board and efforts should be made to resolve disputes to ensure that work on the project is carried out continuously.