Rs 2.27 billion Zero Point Interchange Project: Construction Work to Start on July 15

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) will start the construction work of Rs 2.27 billion Zero Point Interchange Project on July 15, CDA Chairman Kamran Lashari told media persons on Friday during a presentation on traffic diversion plan for the interchange project.He said that the project would complete within two years.

“The CDA has short-listed five firms for the project and the whole process would be completed in the next month and construction work will start on July 15,” said Lashari.The mega project will play a vital role in reducing the traffic problems in the town, he said. “The project was pending for the last several years due many reasons but now the CDA is now ready to start work on it,” he added.Lashari said that they had learnt lessons from the past mistakes.

“Now the consultant hired by the CDA to design the project has prepared a comprehensive traffic diversion plan to avoid traffic problems during the construction of the interchange. The consultant has prepared the diversion plan with the coordination of CDA and Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP),” he said.Replying to a question, he said that the CDA had appointed a special director to monitor the project during its construction to maintain the quality of work.Ongoing road projects: Lashari said that the authority has given deadline to contractors for the completion of ongoing road projects so that the smooth flow of traffic could be ensured.

The CDA has already started widening of Islamabad Highway up to five lanes, while the widening of Kashmir Highway will start within a month or two, he added. “Two rigid lanes will be added to both the highways to avoid rutting in future due to extraordinary heavy traffic. Weigh stations will also be set up at all the three under- construction electronic toll plazas,” said Lashari.Free of traffic signals: He said that the interchange would be signal-free allowing smooth flow of traffic coming from four directions.

The interchange will provide a permanent solution to traffic jams at Zero Point and growing traffic problems in the federal capital, he added.Maj (r) Fazal Karim, project manager of ECIL, a consultant firm hired by CDA for designing of the project, said that the construction of interchange would be completed in three phases.He said that in the first phase loops and slip roads of interchange would be constructed.

In the second phase, a bridge will be constructed over one lane of Islamabad Highway from Rawalpindi to Islamabad, Another bridge will be constructed on Kashmir Highway, he added. “During the construction of these bridges traffic will be diverted to loops and slip roads of the interchange and one side of Islamabad Highway and Kashmir Highway will be closed for traffic,” he said.In the third phase, a bridge will be constructed over the road from Islamabad to Rawalpindi and the other side of highway will be opened for traffic along loops and slips roads, said Karim.

The interchange comprises three loops and four slip roads having a length of 10 kilometres, he said.We have consulted the ITP to make the traffic diversion plan smooth and workable, said Karim. The consultant would soon install traffic signals, signboards and digital screens displaying alternate routes and diversions on all main routes of the federal capital, he added. He said that the motorists would also be urged to use existing alternative roads to avoid congestion on the project site.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Muhammad Zubair Hashmi said that Zero Point Intersection would be made signal-free within a week and hoped that it would also work during the construction of project.

Railways Waiting for Govt Go-ahead on KCR Survey

KARACHI: The Pakistan Railways (PR) has made all arrangements for an environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the proposed Karachi Circular Railway (KCR), Daily Times learnt on Wednesday. EIAs are mandatory for all mega projects.“We are waiting for the federal government to award the contract for the EIA,” said a senior official of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) on condition of anonymity.

The revived KCR will cater about 0.7 million passengers from 23 different stations of industrial, commercial and residential areas of the city. It is 50 kilometers long, comprises three zones and will pass through 21 underpasses and bridges. The Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) will sponsor the project and the Japanese government will provide a loan of $872 million.

In the first phase, a track will be constructed from the city station to Landhi and the two lines will run parallel to the main railway tracks.

In the second phase, a track will be constructed from Drigh Road station and after crossing Shahrah-e-Faisal it will pass Gulistan-e-Johar, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Liaquatabad, Nazimabad, SITE, Baldia, Lyari, Mithadar and will finally touch the Karachi city station.

In the third phase a line will spread from Drigh Road station to the Jinnah International Airport. “Karachi is the largest urban center of Pakistan but does not have a proper transport system which causes congestion, pollution and accidents,” he added. The KCR was functional in 1964 and 1970 but due to a low number of trains and lack of investment it was closed. A plan for a mass transit system for the city has been under consideration since 1976, but for various reasons the project has been kept on hold.

When KCR Project Director Aijaz Hussain Khilji was contacted for details on the project, he said that he was out of the city but he would not have issued a statement anyway because of restrictions from by the Railways ministry. Answering a query about the slum settlements in the route of the KCR, he said that there are no land issues for KCR.

According to Railway laws, 100 feet from either side of the railway track must be remain vacant, said Pakistan Railway Karachi Divisional Engineer, Noor Al Din. “However, slums are spread over a large area owned by the Pakistan Railways and some have even come 60 feet close to the railway track,” he said. “But I have no idea how the KCR administration will resolve the matter as I am not related to that department.”

ADB Pledges $ 6million for Lahore Mass Transit Project

FAISALABAD (April 29 2008): Asian Development Bank will provide six million dollars from the Asian Development Fund for Lahore rapid mass transit system, while the Punjab government will provide 1.5 million dollars from its resources to launch the second phase of the project, which will be completed and commissioned by December.

According to official sources, the ADB has agreed to provide 150,000 dollars from its Technical Assistance Special Fund to launch the first phase of Lahore rapid mass transit system, which will be completed in July. The ADB sources mentioned that the project, on completion, would improve the Labourites quality of life.

The first phase of the project include project design and financing agreed upon by the Pakistan government and the ADB, detailed structure and terms of the transaction, pre-qualification and bidding documents for transaction, contract award, and negotiations with the lenders.

The ADB sources said that the expected impact of the first phase would be the initiation of a long-term transport system investment programme that would enable Lahore to make a greater contribution to national development. The ADB sources explained that the transaction advisory work would be carried out in the following three phases - preparation, implementation, and negotiation.

During the preparation phase, the transaction advisor would carry out technical and legal aspects, design the detailed structure and terms of the transaction market the transaction with potential investors and develop pre-qualification and bidding documents as well as the necessary contracts.

During the implementation stage, the transaction advisor would assist the government in obtaining any approvals and permits required, pre-qualifying potential investors, carrying out the bidding process, evaluating proposals, awarding the contract and holding negotiations, with the lenders. During the negotiation, the transaction advisor would support the government in winning the bidder to reach financial closure, official sources said.

Courtesy: business Recorder

-------------------------------------------------------------

The following link at the ADB web site do provide more information

http://www.adb.org/Documents/ADBBO/PPTA/40573012.ASP

Naveed ask FBR to Consider Relief on CNG Buses

ISLAMABAD (May 21 2008): Finance Minister Naveed Qamar has directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to examine tax relief measures for encouraging CNG buses and vehicles with the aim to promote mass transportation.



The mass transportation system covers a wide range of areas including sky trains, trams, underground railways, light trains, circular trams etc available in different countries. Incentives to encourage such systems in major cities of Pakistan would make general public happy, sources said.

Only 60 Cabs for 8 Million Lahoris: Where Have all the Taxicabs Gone?

LAHORE: There are roughly only five-dozen registered taxis in the city, Regional Transport Authority (RTA) Secretary Chaudhry Iqbal told Daily Times on Friday.Iqbal admitted that the figure was very low, especially when compared to the number rickshaws – at least 60,000 of them are registered.

(A Wonderful Cab Service in Hong Kong)

He said that tens of thousands of ‘Yellow Cabs’ had been imported in the country during Nawaz Sharif’s previous government, but most people converted the cabs to private use after paying the instalments. He said the scheme had been dumped for this reason. He said several companies had announced that they would start cab services in the city, but nothing had been done so far.

The government allowed the duty free import of at least 300 Black Cabs from the UK in 2006 and the Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab (TDCP) announced to begin a radio cab service with at least 50 cabs in 2003, but the service has still not been launched.Talking to Daily Times, several Lahoris and tourists complained about the lack of taxicabs in the city, saying that Lahore is the only city in the world where cabs are rare commodities.

They also say that other major cities of the country, including Islamabad and Karachi have more taxis than rickshaws for public transport. People who do not have private vehicles and who do not wish to use public transport have rickshaws as their only option for intra-city transport. The only place in the city where cabs are easily available is the airport.The government has made several announcements regarding the initiation of cabs including the UK-based Black Cab service in major cities of the country, including Lahore, but no development has been made in this regard so far.

“I have travelled through many countries including places like Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Dhaka, Bangladesh, and found taxis readily available everywhere in the world, except in Lahore,” Steve, Canadian rights activist and tourist, told Daily Times. He said he did not feel comfortable in rickshaws and felt that people risked their lives travelling in such vehicles. “People put their lives at risk travelling in the virtually exposed three-wheeler, which is mostly driven by untrained people,” he said.

Talking to Daily Times, Siddique Ahmad, a Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) student, said that students wanted to travel in taxicabs, but could not because of the unavailability of the service. He said, “Several rickshaws wait for customers outside LUMS every day, but no cabs have every been seen there.” afnan khan

PR Committed to Complete KCR Project by 2011

ISLAMABAD: Karachi Urban Transport Corporation (KUTC) has submitted documents to Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) Karachi for company registration as the first step to revive Rs 60 billion worth Karachi Circular Railway (KCR).According to Pakistan Railway (PR) officials, railway was committed to complete the controversial and most delayed project by 2011.

They said, Wilson Railway submitted revalidation report of KCR last month and this month a meeting of steering committee under Chairman Railway, Kashif Murtaza, besides Member Finance, Member Technical, Assistant General Manager, Infrastructure and Business Unit (IBU) would access and examine the revalidation study.

Railway officials told Environment Impact Study of KCR would be carried sight to sight, if steering committee would be satisfied with the revalidation report, the PC-1 of the project would be initiated and at the same time a request of loan of $872 million would also be submitted to Japanese government.

He hoped the loan would be a soft loan, as these types of railway projects do not fall in category of commercial projects world over. The official hoped that if every thing remains the same the KCR project would be completed in 30 to 36 months

Karachi Firm Buys Canadian Electric Car Company

WASHINGTON: Government restrictions and declining sales have prompted British Columbia carmaker Dynasty Electric Car Corporation to accept a purchase offer from the Pakistani auto manufacturer, Karakoram Motors Ltd of Karachi.

The Pakistani company has agreed to buy the design and manufacturing operations of Delta, British Columbia-based Dynasty, which has been making electric cars since 2001.Details of what the Pakistani company will pay for the assets have not been disclosed by Dynasty, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of another company that makes specialty equipment for trucks.Dynasty general manager Danny Epp told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) that the main reason for the decision to sell was government regulations that prevent the electric vehicles from being operated on major highways.

As Dynasty's primary market is the US, the strong Canadian dollar also played a role in the decision to accept the offer from the Pakistani company, he said. "We were only manufacturing 30 to 40 vehicles a year, and you can't make any money off that." With six employees on the payroll and a plant in Delta, Dynasty assembles battery-powered cars made with fibreglass bodies and other parts produced elsewhere.

The vehicles are priced at around $16,000. The zero emission, low-speed vehicles are designed for urban, recreational and light commercial markets, including planned and gated communities, destination resorts, industrial complexes and universities.According to CBC, by ramping up production to about 5,000 units annually, Karakoram will be able to generate a profit by selling the vehicles to buyers in the US and Europe.

Aside from larger manufacturing facilities, the new owner is expected to benefit from lower labour costs in Pakistan and global efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

Many US Investors Soon to Visit Karachi: Kamal

KARACHI (May 13 2008): Investors from the United States would visit Karachi in a few weeks to make investment in public-private-partnership in different sectors, like energy, information technology, Karachi Mass Transit System, desalination plants, etc.This was stated by City Nazim Mustafa Kamal while briefing mediapersons in the Civic Centre on Monday on homecoming from a two-week visit to the United States.

( A Scenic Night View of the Karachi City)

"I told them (his hosts in US) that we do not believe in seeking help or loan at all... We want partnership on public-private basis... n areas where we have a competitive edge and attraction for foreign investors," he said.The Nazim said that Karachi and Houston, both port cities, were declared as sister-cities after signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU), and a delegation from Houston would soon arrive in Karachi for making investment in the metropolis, which is economic and intellectual hub of the country.

Kamal said that, on his invitation, the visit of the businessmen from Houston would be followed by Houston Mayor Bill White's visit. The city nazim said that Karachi and Washington DC would soon sign an MoU on giving the two cities sisters status. He said the proposal came from the Mayor of Washington DC although US administration signs such MoUs with capital cities.

Kamal said his visit to the US was on reciprocal basis during which he motivated the American investors to be engaged in the metropolis as a result of which a delegation of US investors would soon visit Karachi.Terming recent visit of top American officials to his office and the invitation from the State Department as an honour for Karachiites, the nazim said that developments indicated that the international community had recognised the importance of Karachi as a developing and strategically important city.

The city nazim met with top US officials including Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher, US Ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad, congressmen, US think-tanks, mayors and deputy mayors of Houston and Washington DC and other prominent personalities, and termed his visit as successful.

Kamal said he had also met the Mayor of Chicago and agreed to promote mutual cooperation in the field of technology transfer and economic development.To a query that whether the country's political environment was favourable for foreign investment the nazim said: "We are living in a challenging world, facing many hardships, but this should not stop the process of development.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Way to Go Mr. Kamal. We hope that all Nazims of every City of Pakistan shall have a vision like yours.............

Under Ground Transport System shall Start Working Soon: Amir Mehmood

Lahore City Nazim Amir Mahmood has said that work on an undergorund Transport System shall commenced with in a year and progress on it in underway........... Strange I didnt find any such sign of physical progress on this project ??????????

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

لاہور میں زیر زمین ٹرانسپورٹ سسٹم جلد کام شروع کردےگا: میاں عامر محمود

لاہور کے سٹی ناظم میاں عامر محمود نے کہا ہے کہ لاہور میں زیر زمین ٹرانسپورٹ سسٹم ایک سال کے اندر کام شروع کردے گا اور اس منصوبے پر پیش رفت جاری ہے۔ میاں عامر محمود نے یہ بات وائس آف امریکہ کے ساتھ اپنے ایک انٹرویو میں کہی۔
میاں عامر محمود نے کہا ہے کہ لاہور کی مقامی حکومت کی ترجیحات میں تعلیم سر فہرست ہے اور وہ لاہور کے ہر بچے کو تعلیم کے زیور سے آراستہ دیکھنے کے خواہش مند ہیں۔
مہنگائی اور بجلی کے مسئلے کے بارے میں پوچھے گئے ایک سوال پر ان کا کہنا تھا کہ مہنگائی اور قیمتوں میں اضافے کا براہ راست تعلق طلب اور رسد سے ہے۔ وہ قیمتوں کو اعتدال پر لانے کے لیے طب اور رسد میں توازن قائم کرنے کی کوشش کررہے ہیں اور اس سلسلے میں فیئر پرائس شاپس اور سستے بازار قائم کیے گئے ہیں۔ ناجائز منافع خوری کوروکنے کے لیے پرائس کنٹرول کمیٹیاں اپنا کام کررہی ہیں۔
لاہور کی بڑھتی ہوئی آبادی اور شہر کے گرد تیزی سے تعمیر ہونے والی نئی کالونیوں کے بارے میں ان کا کہنا تھا کہ وہ اس سلسلے میں ایسے اقدامات کررہے ہیں جس میں نئی آبادیاں قانون اور ضابطوں کے مطابق قائم ہوں اور ان میں زندگی کی بنیادی سہولتیں موجود ہوں اور یہ کہ وہ جعلی کالونیوں کے خلاف اقدامات کررہے ہیں۔

http://www.voanews.com/urdu/2008-05-07-voa1.cfm

Women-Only Bus Service To Be Launched Soon in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: A women-only bus service will be soon launched in the city, officials said on Tuesday.Zakat, Usher, Social Welfare and Women Development Department Secretary Shah Sahib told Daily Times that if the programme went without problems, women-only buses would be on the roads within two to three weeks. “Most of the government departments have agreed to the proposal meant to facilitate the women of the city who are facing problems in public transport,” he said.

A meeting was held on Tuesday to discuss the proposal at the Social Welfare Directorate, which was attended by the officials from traffic police, district government and transport department to discuss earlier implementation of the project.Public-private partnership: Shah said that the service would be launched under public-private partnership while the government would oversee the process.

He said that the bus service was a part of the chief minister’s reforms programme that he had announced after taking oath of office. “The programme will be launched under the city district government and the rest of the government agencies will facilities the process,” he said, adding that the service would especially benefit working women and female students.Those at the meeting directed police officials to ensure that men did not occupy seats reserved for women on public transport. The meeting also decided that the new bus service would be different from the current one and would be overseen by women.

The drivers would be male, but the conductors would be females and identified by a uniform. The buses would be air-conditioned.The bus service will aim to be punctual, and on time, unlike the current bus system. It was also agreed that no vehicle would be older than five years and must be certified by motor vehicle examiner (MVE) for road-worthiness. Shah said that transporters could enlist their vehicles for the service and the government encouraged them in this respect.

He said that the number of the buses had not been fixed and it would be according to demand. Some transport companies were also interested in running women-only bus service in the city and they were studying its profitability, he added.

EIA of Karachi Circular Railway Being Planned

KARACHI, May 5: The Karachi Urban Transport Corporation has initiated the process of carrying out the Environment Impact Assessment of the Karachi Circular Railway project, it has been reliably learnt.The KUTC, which is the executing agency of the KCR, has invited organizations with the relevant experience to submit proposals so that they could be entrusted with the task of carrying out the EIA.

Sources told Dawn that a team of Japanese experts was in the city, carrying out a study on the projected number of passengers who would be using the KCR in the future.They said the KCR was being revived with Japanese technical as well as financial assistance and the project work on the ground was expected to be started in June 2009.They added that the project was expected to be completed in three years, give or take a few months.

Under the project, a 50-kilometre-long dual track would be laid and all the 18 level crossings would be replaced either with overhead bridges or underpasses so that electric trains running at around 100 kilometres per hour, with an interval of five minutes between two trains, could complete their journey without any hindrance, the sources said.They added that the KCR was expected to require around 45 megawatts for its train operations.

The sources said that the project was being financed by Japanese assistance of over $ 870 million, with an interest rate of 0.2 per cent a year. The amount is payable in 40 years, with a grace period of 10 years.The sources said that besides the 44-kilometre-long old route of the circular railway that connected Karachi City station with Drigh Road and passed through Lyari, SITE, Nazimabad, Manghopir, Gulshan-i-Iqbal and also ran parallel to the main line from Karachi City to Landhi, a six-kilometre-long new underground track would also be laid to connect the Jinnah Terminal with the Drigh Road station.They said that since the KCR passed through the congested and thickly populated areas of the city, the entire track would be fenced so that people living near the track were not harmed by the fast-moving trains.

They said that more than 240 eight-coach trains would be transporting around 700,000 passengers from early morning to midnight daily between the 26 stations, which would be connected by the buses so that people could easily get to the station from their homes or places of work.The fare would be fixed in accordance with the prevailing bus fare and was expected to be around Rs15, they said.

The sources said that the city’s population, which at the time of independence had been around 300,000, was, according to some estimates, now touching the 15-million mark and while the number of passengers was increasing at a rate of seven per cent, vehicles on the roads were increasing at the rate around 17 per cent, choking the already over-burdened road network.Tracing the history of the KCR, they said that the system had been conceived in the late 1950s and was started in 1964.

It touched its peak in 1984 when over 104 trains operated daily, carrying over six million passengers annually.The so-called transport mafia was said to have manipulated the government or decision-makers in such a way that less and less resources were allocated for its infrastructure improvement, with the result that the system collapsed in 1999 when only two trains were being operated, leaving the commuters at the mercy of the transport mafia.

The sources said that another mass transit system of trams, which had transported a large number of commuters in the congested areas since pre-partition days, also succumbed to the onslaught of the transporters and collapsed in the early 1970s.Following squeals of protests by commuters, the government reactivated the main-line portion of the KCR in 2005 with just 10 trains.

However, the number of trains dropped over the years and at present around four trains were being operated.Representatives of the Sindh government, the city government and the Pakistan Railways are on the board of the directors of the KUTC, which would be run by a managing director on a day-to-day basis.Responding to Dawn queries, KUTC managing director Nasreen Haque said that the government was giving the KCR its due priority and things had started to move.

She said the road network was already choking and with the number of vehicles growing fast it would be almost impossible to move around the city in the next few years without a rail-based mass transit system.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Pakistan Railways has decided to revive Karachi Circular Railway System (KCR) by 2011, an official of the Ministry told on Thursday.

The decision was taken in a high-level meeting presided over by the Minister for Railways, Sardar Mahtab Ahmed Khan in Islamabad. Karachi Urban Transport Corporation (KUTC) would be the in-charge of the project being undertaken with the assistance of government of Japan which would provide a soft loan of $872 million which would be payable in 40 years.

The project would be executed in three years on Japanese and European standards. The 50 km KCR will have 21 underpasses and overhead bridges and 23 different stations within Karachi city. The KCR would carry 700,000 passengers daily through 246 trains, which would ply in the city carrying 1,236 passengers, each. Moreover, they said, that the track for these trains will be of international standard and they will be available at each terminal after three minutes.-