ADB supports Sindh govt to add fleet of Electric busses to People Bus service Karachi

he Sindh government and the Asian development bank (ADB) have agreed to collaborate to procure another fleet of Electrical Vehicles to include them in the Peoples Bus Service already operating in Karachi.
This emerged in a meeting between Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and the ADB delegation led by its Country Director Mr. Yong Ye. The other delegation members were Unit Head, Project Administration Mr. Dinesh R. Shiwakoti, Unit Head Urban, Water & Emergency Assistance Mr. Mian Shaukat Shafi, Senior Climate Change Specialist Mr. Nathan Rive and Senior Portfolio Management Officer Mr. Khurram Butt. The CM was assisted by Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput, Chairman P&D Hassan Naqvi, CEO of the Peoples Housing project Khalid Shaikh.
The CM said that the People Bus Service launched in the city has made a difference. He added that the people were enjoying its travel, therefore he wanted to add more Electric buses in the service till the under-construction BRT system was completed. At this the ADB country head assured the CM that they would support the Proposal, therefore a committee comprising ADB concerned sector officers and P&D officers was formed to finalize the formalities of the project.
BRT Redline: A 26.6 km BRT Redline project from Malir Halt to Numaish Corridor has been launched for Rs78.38 billion.
The CM said that the project would improve the quality of life in the city as its people would start using quality public transport.
Flood Emergency Reconstruction Project: The Sindh Flood Emergency Reconstruction Project of $220 million ($AADB share $200 million and Sindh govt $20m) is being launched to reconstruct provincial and district roads.
Under the project, the flood-affected roads are being taken up for improvement/rehabilitation which connects numerous villages and towns enroute the population lives adjacent to them.
Chairman P&D said that the project has been cleared from PDWP and ECNEC.
Education Improvement Project: The CM and the visiting delegation discussed the Sindh Secondary Education Improvement Project (SSEIP) of $82.5 million aimed at providing quality education for all. He added that work on the project was in full swing.
Under the project 500 school labs have to be provided with equipment, enhancing the capacity of teachers, improving the examination system, and developing the school infrastructure of 160 schools.
Chairman P&D Hassan Naqvi giving progress on the project said that 160 secondary school blocks in the existing primary schools, in 10 districts are to be established to fill the gap between primary and post-primary education. He added that he had visited 200 schools of which 116 have been identified for the construction of additional blocks for which contractors have been hired.
PPP Project: Another project which came under discussion was ‘Enhancement Public Private Partnership Project. The project’s objective is to enhance the provincial government’s capacity to select PPP projects and manage the PPP project-related fiscal risk effectively.
The chief secretary told the visiting delegation that a PPP support facility has been established to support Education-related projects. He also added that Malir Expressway, Ghotki Kandhkot projects were launched after the PPP policy board approved them.