Karachi is constantly evolving but, unfortunately, city planning has failed to keep up with the metro’s changing dynamics. A 2020 report cited by Bloomberg informs that Karachi fares the worst out of 100 cities worldwide in terms of public transport. This comes as no surprise.
How a megacity the size of Karachi survives and functions without a dependable public transport service is a riddle that baffles many. Prime Minister Imran Khan had also announced several development projects for Karachi, but as we all expected nothing has happened yet. And we all know about the 12-year PPP rule in Sindh.
The Sindh Mass Transit Authority (SMAT) of the PPP government has done nothing in this regard. Its agreement with a private bus company in 2019 for the development of Karachi public transport hasn’t implemented yet. The agreement proved to be a fraud like other announcements of the Sindh government.
Recently, the Sindh government announced that the number of electronics buses, which are initially 10, will be increased to 100 in 3 months. And again as expected nothing happened yet. Unfortunately, Karachi’s Green Line bus service is under construction for the past five years.
A report was submitted to the Sindh High Court that the second part of the project would be completed in March 2021, and 80 buses would soon reach Karachi. The court was told that an agreement had been reached with a Chinese company to procure the buses. However, the Green Line project is still incomplete.
In the metropolis, only Karachi Transport Corporation buses were the option for the public. Until the 1990s, citizens had better access to transportation, but corrupt elements began stealing and selling valuables from KTC depots.
Due to corruption, KT’s deficit increased to such an extent that it was completely shut down and its employees were fired. The poor citizens of Karachi had to bear the loss of KTC buses and the closure of the institution. Later, the Metro Bus Service was introduced in 2003 during the tenure of former mayor Karachi Nematullah Advocate (late), however, it was also limited to certain areas. When his reign is over, the buses started to misplace.
In 2007, 50 new CNG buses were procured at a cost of Rs25 crore. The city government later shut down these buses due to non-availability of CNG funds for repairs. The citizens were forced to travel in rickshaws and taxis if they could afford it or stay at home.
Surprisingly, the Sindh government still does not seem sincere to the citizens of Karachi, not a single public transport project can reach its end. The only solution for public transport in Karachi is local train or circular railway. This will provide a better and timely ride to the destination.
Meanwhile, the authorities should also study the faults in designs and the reasons that cause delays in the completion of the said projects on time.
