Karachi Package: Provincial coordination body discusses ongoing, new schemes

KARACHI: A meeting of the newly-constituted Provincial Coordination & Implementation Committee (PSIC) for Karachi’s development was held here under the chairmanship of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Monday in which schemes of water supply, sewerage treatment and disposal, solid waste management, storm water drains, improvement of internal roads and mass transit system were discussed.

The meeting was attended by Corps Commander Karachi Lt. General Hamayun Aziz, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, Major General Aqil, Chairman Planning & Development Mohammad Waseem, Principal Secretary to CM Sajid Jamal Abro, Administrator KMC Iftikhar Shahalwani, Commissioner Karachi Sohail Rajput, Secretary Transport Shariq and Secretary Local Government Najam Shah and other concerned. Federal Secretary Planning and Secretary railways participated in the meeting through the video link from Islamabad.

Chairman P&D Mohammad Waseem gave a detailed presentation on the projects in progress or to be launched and completed under the Karachi development package.

Storm water drains: There are seven schemes of storm water drain of Rs258.7 billion. They are as follows: Clearance of Rivers and Nullahs, Lyari and Malir Rivers and Gujjar, Mehmoodabad and Orangi Nullahs. DHA Karachi storm water drainage issues is a Rs10 billion scheme. The Karachi commissioner said that he has completed a physical survey of the project. The NED University has been engaged for the GIS survey and mapping for the project. The meeting was told that the project would be completed by 60 per cent by July 2021 and the remaining 40 per cent by July 2022.

The settlement of the people living there would cost around Rs4 billion. The meeting discussed different options to compensate the affected people. The federal government has a plan to construct 12,000 flats at a cost of Rs36 billion to accommodate the settlers there. Roads or expressways astride Gujjar, Mehmoodabad, Orangi Nullas and remaining portion of Lyari Expressway would be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs130 billion on Public Private Partnership mode. Ten schemes of storm water drains and nullahs have been launched by the Sindh government for Rs3 billion against which Rs1.6 billion have been utilized so far and this year Rs6 million have been allocated. The chief minister said that six schemes were fully funded and would be completed by the end of current financial year and the remaining schemes would be completed by next year.

KCR: The Karachi Circular Railways is a Rs300 billion project in which Rs250 billion is the Chinese loan. The chief minister said that the federal government had to issue the sovereign guarantee and approach the Chinese government for concessional financing of the project. The minister of railways should clear the Right of Way (ROW) for the project. Shah said that construction of boundary/fencing along KCR alignment, a scheme of Rs26 million, has been launched. He directed the transport secretary to expedite the fencing work in this connection. Construction of underpasses/flyovers on railway crossings along the KCR route will be carried out at the cost of Rs5 billion. The meeting was told that the transport department was coordinating with the Frontier Works’ Organization for the project. Operationalization of trains on the existing KCR alignment will be carried out at the cost of Rs1.85 billion. The scheme would be launched shortly.

BRT: Bus Rapid Transit Green Line is a 27-kilometre-long project of Rs24.6 billion. It was pointed out that Rs19.50 billion have been utilized so far and the project would be completed by June 30, 2021. Operationalization of buses is another project of Rs11 billion and the federal government has allocated Rs7.9 billion and it would be completed by June 30, 2021. The Sindh government has launched the BRT Orange Line project that is a 4.7 km project and has been launched for Rs2.36 billion and so far Rs1.52 billion have been utilized. It would also be completed by June 2021.

The provincial government is also launching the Yellow Line BRTS project. It is a 21-km project and would be completed for Rs61.44 billion. The World Bank and Asian Development Bank are financing the projects.

Water supply: The K-IV bulk water supply project has been launched to provide 260 MGD additional water to the city of Karachi in the first phase. On this project, Rs11.30 billion have been utilized and the remaining funds required for the project would be around Rs60 to Rs70 bn (to be reviewed). The meeting was told that 30 MGD water supply scheme for district South of the city was being launched by the Sindh government on public private partnership (PPP) mode for Rs7 billion. The provincial government is also launching a Rs6 billion project to revamp the Hub Water Supply system on PPP mode. The chief minister said that 30 schemes pertaining to water supply have been launched by his government for Rs17.50 billion and so far Rs3.10 billion have been utilized. He added that these five water supply schemes of Rs110.50 billion would be completed within a few years.

Sewerage Treatment: Eight schemes of sewerage treatment and disposal projects of Rs162.6 billion have been launched against which the provincial government from its resources and the donor agencies has spent Rs12.42 billion. Greater Karachi Sewerage Plan (S-III) is a Rs36.2 billion project against which Rs10.70 billion have been utilized so far. The chairman P&D said that the PC-1 of component TP-IV sewerage treatment scheme would be executed under the Phase-II of the World Bank-funded programme. The World Bank funded Karachi Water & Sewerage Services Improvement Project (KWSSIP) Phase-I is a Rs14.7 billion project. The chief minister directed the Karachi Water & Sewerage Board to accelerate work on the project so that it could be completed within the next five years.

Five Combined Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) for industrial areas of Karachi are being launched at Rs11.8 billion in which the Sindh government’s share is 67 per cent while the federal government would bear 33 per cent of the project cost. The meeting directed the industries secretary and KWSB to start construction of CETPs at three available sites. The Sindh chief minister said that 12 schemes pertaining to sewerage system of Rs2.6 billion have been launched by the provincial government through its ADP. He added that two schemes are fully funded and would be completed by the end of financial year and funds were required for the remaining schemes to complete them.

Solid Waste Management: The meeting was told that two schemes of Rs14.86 billion are being completed. They include establishment of six Garbage Transfer Stations (GTS) with material recovery (MR) and Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) that is a Rs1.66 billion project. The Sindh government has launched the project from its own resources and in the current financial year, Rs1 billion have been allocated in the ADP. Under the project, three GTS would be taken up under the scheme and the remaining three GTS would be executed under the World Bank’s SWEEP project. Development of sanitary engineered existing two landfill sites and their scientific improvement is a Rs1.2 billion project. Rs1 billion have been allocated by the Sindh government in the current year’s Annual Development Programme. The meeting decided to construct one landfill site at Gondpass. The chief minister said that two landfill sites, Jam Chakro and Dhabeji, would be executed under the World Bank funded program SWEEP.

Roads: Improvement of internal roads of the city will be carried under four schemes of Rs62.30 million and all of them are being funded by the Sindh government. The Malir Expressway of Rs27 billion is being launched under the PPP mode. The chief minister said that the ground breaking of the project would be performed next month. The meeting constituted working committees under the Karachi commissioner and KMC administrator so that projects under the Karachi Package could be properly pursued to launch them at the earliest.