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KARACHI: Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon on Wednesday expressed hope that the main corridor of the Red Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on Karachi\u2019s University Road would be completed by March.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur effort is to complete the main corridor on University Road \u2014 where there is heavy public movement and where citizens face difficulties \u2014 by March,\u201d said the senior minister while speaking to the media in the metropolis.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe remaining BRT work will continue, including bridges, underpasses, and U-turns,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
He further said the condition of the main thoroughfare and its adjoining routes is now \u201cfar better than before\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWherever the roads appear damaged, it is only because development work is currently under way,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Referring to the lack of construction activity, he maintained that the provincial government was not at fault, as there were \u201csome serious issues at the national level\u201d, adding that with an increase in the exchange rate, the project\u2019s cost ballooned.<\/p>\n
He added that the Sindh Transport Department will soon commence work on the Yellow Line BRT project. \u201cPeople are currently facing difficulties, and they will face more difficulties [after the work commences]. We know this, and we apologise to the citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n
The provincial minister said that the Sindh government was answerable to the people on every platform and could be questioned on the matter.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs I said, people will face difficulties, for instance, when work will commence on Yellow Line,\u201d he reiterated, adding that however, once such projects were complete, \u201cyou, as well as your future generations, will [have access to these] facilities\u201d.<\/p>\n
The minister said an easier option was to buy buses and simply run them on roads. \u201cBut given the situation of traffic and population growth, what would you have done in the future? If you have no routes [to run those buses], what will you do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, we apologise for the inconvenience that you are facing today, but these difficulties will end soon once these projects are complete,\u201d he said. \u201cThese projects worth billions are for Karachi, as Karachi is the hub of Pakistan, Karachi is the hub of Sindh, and it belongs to all of us. The responsibility of Karachi\u2019s development lies with all of us, especially those who are in governments.\u201d<\/p>\n
The minister said that was why a major portion of Sindh\u2019s budget was spent on Karachi.<\/p>\n
He claimed that no other city in Pakistan had \u201cstate-of-the-art government hospitals\u201d similar to the ones in Karachi, where not just people from the port city but from across the country were being provided medical treatment.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of us have to work together for Karachi\u2019s development [\u2026] because if Karachi will progress, the entire country will progress. So Karachi\u2019s progress is Sindh government\u2019s priority,\u201d he asserted.<\/p>\n
Memon was also asked about the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan\u2019s (MQM-P) accusing the Sindh government of its \u201cincapability\u201d in the area of development and demanding the chief minister\u2019s resignation.<\/p>\n
In his response, Memon said it did not matter what they demand. He asserted that the Sindh government had been carrying out development work in Karachi.<\/p>\n
He also insisted that the port city had an \u201cempowered local government system and that is why local bodies are functioning here\u201d.<\/p>\n
On MQM-P\u2019s demand to make Karachi a federal territory, he said two of the party\u2019s leaders were federal ministers. \u201cThey should then demand from the federal government to [make Karachi a federal territory] within 24 or 48 hours and warn that they would otherwise resign,\u201d he said, adding that they would not do so.<\/p>\n