Daily Times

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday directed all the departments concerned, including transport and local government, to remove all the impediments in the completion and operation of the Green Line project.

The operations of Green Line BRTS are to be undertaken by the Sindh Infrastructure Development Company Ltd (SIDCL), a federal government organisation, for the first three years under a formal agreement between the Sindh government and SIDCL. The SIDCL will closely coordinate with Sindh government for seamless transfer of the project to the provincial government upon its completion. This was decided in a meeting held here under the chairmanship of Murad Ali Shah. The meeting was attended by Minister Local Government Saeed Ghani, Minister Transport Awais Shah, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, Chairperson P&D Naheed Shah, World Bank acting Country Director Melinda Goods, Principal Secretary to CM Sajid Jamal Abro, Chairman SIDCL Samar Ali Khan, CEO Green Line project Sauleh Farooqi, Secretary Local Government Khalid Hyder Shah, Secretary Transport Abbas Detho, PD Yellow Line Rasheed Mughal, CFO Green Line Zubair Channa and senior officers and consultants of SMTA, SIDCL and others.

Green Line project CEO Suleh Farooqui briefed the meeting on the decision taken by the prime minister for making a formal agreement with Government of Sindh with regard to the operations of Green Line BRTS to be undertaken by SIDCL for first three years. The chief minister approved the proposal and directed the transport department to prepare a draft agreement. At this the CEO Sauleh Farooqi said that he has already shared a draft agreement with all the stakeholders, including Sindh Transport Department and Sindh Mass Transit Authority (SMTA). The chief minister said that the agreement must be prepared in consultation with all the stakeholders. However, he directed chief secretary to get the draft agreement examined by the consultants concerned of the transport department and then report him so that it could be signed at the earliest.

It has already been delayed; therefore all the notification in respect of allotment/handing over of land for depot and other necessary notification must be issued at the earliest.