Tipu Sultan Underpass on Malir Cantt Road to be opened for public on Oct 31, says Sharjeel

The Tipu Sultan Underpass on Malir Cantonment Road and its adjacent road under the Red Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project will be officially opened to the public on October 31, announced Sindh Senior Minister for Transport and Information Sharjeel Inam Memon on Saturday.

He said work on the Red Line BRT project was being completed round the clock as per directions of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and President Asif Ali Zardari.

He said the construction of the Red Line BRT Tipu Sultan underpass had been completed with only the shuttering work remaining, which would be finished in four days. He added that after it was opened on October 31, the project would significantly benefit the citizens of Karachi, as providing travel facilities to the people of Karachi was a top priority of the Sindh government.

Memon carried out a detailed inspection of the Red Line BRT project site. He reviewed the project's progress during his visit and passed necessary instructions.

Speaking to the media during his visit, he said the Red Line BRT would be Pakistan's first BRT system to operate on biogas-powered V-buses. The route’s length was 26 kilometres, he added.

He explained that while such work in rural areas would have completed long ago, urban projects faced delays due to various obstacles and utilities. Once the PPP government assumed power, they accelerated work on the previously stalled project and now, the pace of work was rapid, and all resources were being utilised to ensure the project's timely completion, Memon said.

He stressed that no compromise on the quality of the project would be tolerated.

Work on various sections of the Red Line BRT should have been completed long ago, but due to the caretaker government's carelessness, the project was delayed, causing hardships for the public, he remarked.

The transport minister said that two months ago, the contractor had promised to complete work on the Tipu Sultan underpass and its adjacent road and after two months, the work had been completed.

He said the provincial transport department was also set to start work on the Yellow Line BRT project with support of the World Bank.

He said that during a meeting on the construction of the Red Line Corridor, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had issued instructions to expedite the work and ensure the timely relocation of utility lines. Orders had also been given to release the necessary funds, he said.

Memon announced that the Sindh transport department would soon launch electric taxis. A pink taxi service would be introduced specifically for women, while a separate EV taxi service would cater to men, he said.

In response to a question, he said that in order to solve a problem, it was essential to address its root cause. He added that in 2018, an incompetent government was imposed, which only created problems during its three-and-a-half years in power.

He said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government made false promises to the people. In contrast, the PPP chairman fulfilled his promises to the people, Memon said.

He said Bilawal had announced a major project involving the construction of 2.1 million houses for the flood victims of Sindh. He added that the project was being completed and many houses had already been handed over to people.

The Sindh energy department, Memon said, was working on providing cheapest electricity to homes in Sindh through solarisation. He said former prime minister Benazir Bhutto had introduced the idea of the Thar Coal project, which was actualised by President Zardari and Bilawal.

In response to a question, he said the Sindh government had invested $2 billion in the Thar Coal project. In response to another question, he said power generated from the Thar Coal project was directly supplied to the national grid. He said the PPP envisioned providing facilities to every corner of Pakistan which was why electricity from the Thar Coal project was being supplied to the national grid.

Sindh Transport Secretary Asad Zaman, Trans Karachi CEO Shamaila Mohsin, an international consultant and others accompanied Memon during the visit.