Infrastructure and Transport News

[Neo]

'Concrete steps underway to improve existing rail system'

HAFIZABAD (February 18 2007): Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad said here on Saturday that concrete steps were being taken for the improvement of existing rail system and to introduce new fast trains in the country.

Addressing a big gathering at a local Railway Station, the minister said that in the past railway timetables used to prepare in connivance with the transporters to benefit them but now time tables were being prepared for providing facility to the travelling public.

He said that 51 foreign companies have been invited for the introduction of new express trains in the country. He said that Rs 5.5 billion are being spent on the laying of double track from Lahore and Karachi and work has been entrusted to Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) which will be completed by December this year. He hoped that atleast forty train crossings would be eliminated due to laying of double track.

He regretted that during the past six years no effort was made to improve the existing railway system. He stressed the need for creating awareness among the commuters to desist from ticketless travelling.

He disclosed that over Rs 700,000 daily is being realised from ticketless travellers as fine. He said that three new trains would be introduced namely, Nishtar Express, Sir Syed Express and Pindi Express between Rawalpindi and Karachi during the current month.

After the rehabilitation of track between Sialkot and Hafizabad, more express and shuttle trains would be introduced between Sialkot and Faisalabad via Wazirabad-Hafiazabad-Sangla Hill to meet the demands of commuters of this section. Replying to a question, he said that since his taking over the charge of Railway Ministry, 2000,000 passengers have been increased per month.

On the request of Chaudhry Liaquat Abbas Bhatti MNA, Chaudhry Mubashar Abbas Bhatti District Nazim and Dr Muzaffar Ali Sheikh, the Railway Minister allowed the district government to start construction of underpass at the railway track between Mohallah Sherpura and Bijli Mohallah, funds for which has already been released by the provincial government.

He assured that after the manufacturing of two new coaches, Pakistan Express (between Pindi and Karachi via Hafizabad) would operate daily. Meanwhile, he strongly condemned the bomb blast in Quetta on Saturday in which number of precious lives including a senior civil judge were lost.

http://www.brecorder.com/index.php?id=529889&currPageNo=2&query=&search=&term=&supDate=

 

[Neo]

New Pak-China rail link: pre-feasibility study project signed

ISLAMABAD (February 20 2007): Pakistan Railways on Monday signed a pre-feasibility study project for new rail link from Havelian to Khunjrab with a German and Austrian firm (ILF Consulting Engineers). ILF Consulting Engineers quoted the lowest rates of Rs 72.50 million for the project in the tender, which was participated by three other firms.

This project would be jointly carried out by Chinese firm Dongfang, which was the second lowest in the bid.

Pakistan Railways had asked the firm to bring lower their offer, matching with the lowest, so that the project could be jointly awarded. The firm accordingly reduced their bid and an agreement to this effect was already signed in Lahore between Pakistan Railways and the firm.

The agreement with the ILF Consulting Engineers was signed by General Manager Operations Asad Saeed. Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed was also there to witness the signing of the agreement.

http://brecorder.com/index.php?id=530387&currPageNo=2&query=&search=&term=&supDate=

 

[Neo]

Pak ports provide ideal gateway

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani ports are on the worldís main oil and LNG shipping routes and provide an ideal gateway for connecting to emerging high demand in India and China. Our ports provide convenient convergence being the hub of proposed/possible oil and gas pipelines from Central African Republics (CARs).

This was stated by Munawar Baseer Ahmad, Managing Director, Sui Southern Gas Company while speaking on the topic of ‘Pakistan’s role as the South Asian Energy Corridor’. He was addressing the first working session of the 3rd Pakistan Oil and Gas Conference 2007 that commenced on February 18, 2007 in Islamabad and was inaugurated by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, says a press release.

The three-day event held every two years has been organised by the Petroleum Institute of Pakistan (PIP) established in July 1963 for the purpose of promoting and coordinating the activities of the Oil and Gas Industry in Pakistan.

PIP is headed by its Chairman Syed Munsif Raza who is also the Managing Director of Pakistan Petroleum Ltd.

The session was chaired by Ahmed Waqar, Federal Secretary Ministry of Petroleum and natural resources. Mukhtar Ahmed, Adviser to Prime Minister on Energy also spoke on the topic of ‘Pakistan’s energy strategy and its role in South Asia’ while dilating on adequate and affordable energy supply to meet the needs of Pakistan’s expanding economy.

He said that the present energy supply to China was through Ocean route and in case of any constraint, the supply may get disrupted. In such a scenario, the MD asserted, the proposed Energy Corridor would provide reliable, efficient and strategic mode of transportation for oil and gas ensuring supply integrity to China and India on Long Term Basis.

Earlier, Mukhtar Ahmed, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Energy started the proceedings by speaking on the issue of Pakistan’s energy strategy and its role in South Asia. He said that the security of energy supply required a balanced energy mix and maximum indigenous resource utilisation.

He added that the long-term viability of energy sector required appropriate distribution of responsibilities which included policy formulation, regulation, administration), rational industry structure in the form of Government’s ‘strategic’ presence, public-private partnership & exclusive private ownership) and sustainable pricing regime.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=43575

 

[Neo]

February 20, 2007
WB provides Rs1.61bn for improving highway

ISLAMABAD, Feb 19: The World Bank has provided Rs1.61 billion to the National Highway Authority for the improvement of the highway from Rawalpindi to Peshawar, top NHA officials said.

This amount will be spent on two major rehabilitation projects, including Rs1.1 billion for the construction of the 57-km Tarnol to Chablot section and Rs512 million for the 68-km Nowshera to Peshawar section of the highway technically known as N-5, said NHA member operations Brig Shahid Majeed.

Work has already started on the projects and about 3 km of the road, from Tarnol to Sangjani, has been completed and opened for traffic. The remaining portions along with bridges, flyovers and underpasses will be completed in about one-and-a-half year, an NHA official said. The N-5 Road will be one of the best highways when completed, said Brig Shahid.

At present, the highway is in extremely shabby condition causing great trouble to motorists and public transport owners.

One of the oldest and busiest, the N-5 Road has become so risky to travel on due to the frequent diversions, swerves, its numerous broken sections, ups and downs, ditches and unnecessary speed breakers -- most of which appear all of a sudden. A motorist travelling at a high speed increases his chances to a maximum of being involved in an accident if he has to apply brakes or reduce speed suddenly on such a shoddy road.

Motorists and public transporters have been facing great trouble travelling on this highway.

http://www.dawn.com/2007/02/20/top10.htm

 

[Neo]

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

19 reasons why Shahra-e-Faisal shouldn’t be destroyed by an elevated expressway: IAP

KARACHI: The Institute of Architects Pakistan (IAP) has listed 19 reasons and concerns about the proposed Elevated Expressway (EE) that the CDGK plans to build over the M.T. Khan Road / Shahrah-e-Faisal corridor, according to a press release Tuesday. On Feb 24, the CDGK is holding a briefing on the project at the AKU at 10:30 a.m., the IAP’s Amina Nasim Jan told Daily Times.

According to the press release, the architects and planners are not against development; in fact their business thrives with the development in the country but Shahrah-e-Faisal which has been there since before Partition was never designed to support an elevated expressway.

The project proposes to construct a 24km long, 4 lane expressway which will stretch from Jinnah Bridge at Keamari to Quaidabad in Malir. Vehicles will be required to pay a toll. There will be six entry and exit points; Quaidabad, Star Gate, Karsaz, Shahrah-e-Quaideen, Hotel Metropole, and Jinnah Bridge. The EE will be high enough to clear the existing overpasses and will have toll plazas at intermediate levels at the six entry/ exit nodes. There have been very limited public hearings on this project.

Several prominent members of the architectural and engineering communities have expressed their reservations but their concerns have been brushed aside in the rush to initiate this project in the name of development and foreign investment.

The IAP believes that there are several reasons why this project is conceptually flawed and unfeasible: The EE is being developed to ease the current and projected load on Shahrah-e-Faisal. The project does not take into account the alternative route and the relief that will be provided by the Lyari Expressway nor does it consider any different corridors to divert traffic off of Shahrah-e-Faisal.

The EE is proposed to be a high-speed link for freight and passenger traffic between the airport, Karachi Harbour and the Port Qasim. Realistically, there is very limited traffic between the airport and the two ports. Instead there is much greater freight traffic between the ports and the rest of the country, adequately serviced by the Northern Bypass.

It is also not correct to refer to the EE as the Southern Bypass as has been suggested because it bypasses nothing and ploughs through the densest and most valuable real estate in Karachi. The EE also does not service any of the industrial estates of Karachi. There is no direct access to the EE from Korangi, SITE and North Karachi except through residential neighbourhoods. These areas are much better served by the Northern Bypass and the National Highway.

The project proposes to place a limited access high-speed expressway over the alignment of Shahrah-e-Faisal and M.T. Khan Road. This would mean that the expressway would have the same constraints and limitations as Shahrah-e-Faisal and M.T. Khan Road and will hardly allow expressway speeds. For example, the expressway will travel over the Bridge at PIDC, squeeze between Hotel Pearl Continental and Hotel Sheraton; curve around Hotel Metropole and past Hotel Avari.

By adding the EE, the volume of traffic that can be handled by the Shahrah-e-Faisal corridor may be doubled but the roads leading into Shahrah-e-Faisal and away from it will remain the same. This will create major congestion on roads feeding Shahrah-e-Faisal. An EE is an expensive and inefficient response to the city’s traffic problems. When the volume exceeds the capacity of the EE, it will not be possible to widen it. Therefore, this project will have much shorter productive life span than an on-grade highway.

The EE is being proposed as a 4 lane highway with two lanes traveling in either direction (The 6-lanes claimed in CDGK publications includes entry and exit lanes). There is no provision for a shoulder or emergency lane. A breakdown or accident on the expressway will result in traffic jams of monumental proportions, with no escape for vehicles and no access for fire tenders or ambulances except from the six exit points.

The placement of the six entry and exit points is not rationally based on the requirements of the city’s traffic but rather on the limited space available for entry and exit ramps and toll plazas. For example, there is no entry or exit at Jinnah Airport. Airport traffic will exit the EE at Star Gate intersection and merge with Shahrah-e-Faisal traffic till the JIA intersection. There is no interchange at either Rashid Minhas Road or FTC. Residents of Gulshan-e-Iqbal and DHA would have to exit earlier and merge with Shahrah-e-Faisal traffic.

The proposed Master Plan 2020 calls for the development of multiple nuclei, i.e. additional business districts at different locations throughout the city to reduce commuting time and pressure on our roads and other resources. The goal of this proposal is to decrease the dependence on Saddar. This is a commendable proposal in the Master Plan. The EE tends to contradict this goal of the Master Plan as it seeks to concentrate more traffic into Saddar. If this money were applied instead to develop a Central Business District in Port Qasim it would open up jobs there and reduce traffic to Saddar.

Lastly, the increase in the number of cars on the roads in Karachi is not a valid justification for the construction of new highways. The city should not be fascinated by the notion of having an elevated expressway as if such a thing is an achievement that heralds Karachi’s elevation to a ‘mega city’. Elevated expressways are usually the failure of urban planning because they indicate that a city has failed to manage its traffic problems through less dense, less expensive, on-grade solutions.

The construction of the EE will ruin one of the most attractive boulevards in Karachi. Trees along Shahrah-e-Faisal will be lost. It will effectively place a roof over the existing roadway, cutting off sunlight and breezes. Anyone wanting to imagine the ambience of the resulting roadway need only stand under the NIPA flyover or the Liaquatabad Flyover and imagine it extending for 24km.

The increased traffic load on the Shahrah-e-Faisal corridor and the construction of the EE will greatly increase the levels of emissions. The expressway perched above Shahrah-e-Faisal will trap pollution and prevent it from dispersing.

The EE passes through the heart of Karachi’s thriving commercial, business and tourist districts. Much of its length is over Shahrah-e-Faisal which was recently designated as a corridor for high rise commercial development. After its completion, traffic on the EE will whiz past the third and fourth floor of these buildings. The high walls of these building will create a canyon-like effect which will trap pollution and amplify noise. The EE will obscure the facades of every building that it will cross, greatly hinder people’s access and will depreciate real estate values.

The price tag for the EE has grown from the initial US$225 million through $250 million to $350 million (Rs 21b). Figures much higher than these have been quoted by independent sources. The feasibility of this project depends on the recovery of the cost through tolls.

The EE project is expected to cost $350 million or Rs 21 billion. The developer is expected to recover their investment by collecting tolls from all vehicles over the first 20 years of its life. This means that the operator will need to collect Rs 1,050,000,000 per year or more than Rs 2,876,000 per day. If the average toll per vehicle per trip is set at Rs 20 that would amount to 143,835 cars per day using the expressway. Divided between the six entry/exit points, that amounts to almost 24,000 cars per exit per day or one car every 3.6 seconds. It would seem unlikely that the CDGK’s financial claims about this project will be realized. In which case the foreign developer of the project will claim the CDGK’s sovereign guarantee.

The construction of the EE will cause severe hardship to the residents of Karachi particularly to the businesses located on Shahrah-e-Faisal. The construction time of 30 months appears to be too optimistic considering the usual pace of construction in Pakistan (foreign developer notwithstanding). The CDGK has not shared any plans with the citizens of Karachi on how it plans to achieve these diversion plans during the construction period and which adjacent neighbourhoods will be affected.

Shahrah-e-Faisal is the main access route to the airport and is heavily used for the movement of VVIP’s. How will this access be maintained during construction? What diversionary routes will be used for VVIP traffic at added security risks? There have been no public hearing held to discuss this with residents and businesses along the Shahrah-e-Faisal / M.T. Khan Road corridor.

The EE is not the only solution to the traffic problems of Shahrah-e-Faisal. After its completion, The Lyari Expressway will handle a large volume of traffic currently accessing Shahrah-e-Faisal from the north. The IAP proposes two alternatives: develop an on-grade highway along the Malir River bed and; develop the under-construction road through the Korangi Industrial Area into an expressway. Both proposals can be connected laterally across the Malir River to Shahrah-e-Faisal which will provide a natural detour during VVIP movement. This will allow citizens living south of Shahrah-e-Faisal to use this expressway instead. Both proposals can be connected to Karachi Harbour through limited access corridors through DHA.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\02\21\story_21-2-2007_pg12_1

 

[Neo]

Aero Asia to purchase new aircraft

KARACHI: Just days after Airblue announced the launch of a long-haul flight to Manchester from May, Aero Asia, another Pakistani private airline, also made public its plan to operate flights between Islamabad and the UK city in the next three to four months.

But Aero Asia that has had a turbulent past has come out with a new idea to capture the lucrative route, once the exclusive domain of Pakistan’s national flag carrier.

“Actually, this route should be called Mirpur to Manchester as we will be focusing on a large number of ‘Mirpuris’ who frequently visit England,” Managing Director Aero Asia, Haider Jalal said on Wednesday night, referring to the hilly district of Azad Kashmir.

In the last couple of decades, tens of thousands of Mirpuris have settled abroad, notably in England and it is believed that facilitation of these natives, who frequently visit relatives, will give the airline an upper hand over others.

Aero Asia, now owned by the UK-based Regal Group, has decided to arrange a special transportation service to bring passengers from Mirpur to Islamabad, Jalal said while addressing a gathering of travel agents here at a local hotel.

Recalling how Aero Asia was grounded in May 2006 and ‘salvaged’ by the new group a month later, he mentioned a number of steps, ranging from the induction of new planes to increasing international destinations, envisaged for the revival of the country’s first private airline.

He said frequency of flights to existing domestic destinations and Dubai would be increased, besides new flight schedule for Sukkur, Multan, Pasni and Gwadar was also in the pipeline. “There are also plans for a shuttle service between Lahore and Islamabad,” he added.

On a more ambitious side, the airline is eyeing to target Pakistanis in Copenhagen, Oslo and Barcelona as well as looking to start freight flights to Belgium and Austria from Lahore for which a DC-8 freighter plane with 48 tons’ capacity is being leased.

Jalal said a B-737 300 would be inducted next week, which would be the fourth addition to the existing fleet of three aircraft. “The airline will also add one more plane that is either going to be a B-767, A-310 or A-321,” he added.

Chairman Zahoor Ahmed, in his brief remarks, said in the next few months the seeds of transformation would start to bear fruit.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=44047

 

[Neo]

MoU inked with China on Sost Dry Port

ISLAMABAD (February 24 2007): Pakistan and China have signed an MoU according to which a joint venture company "Pak China Sost Dry Port Pvt Ltd" will be registered in Northern Areas for amicable handling of all the affairs pertaining to business and management of Sost Dry Port.

The MoU regarding "Silk Route Dry Port Trust" was signed on Friday in Islamabad by Yuan Jianmin, Chairman Sinortans China and Saleem Khan Vice Chairman in the presence of Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas, Major Tahir Iqbal (Retd).

Earlier, the minister chaired a high-level meeting to discuss and resolve the issues connected with Sost Dry Port which was attended by the Chinese delegation, Secretary Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas, representatives from Chinese Embassy and Director China M/o Foreign Affairs.

The minister categorically decided that from now on all the business done would be in the name of this Joint Company. The account management and administration of the SDP would be jointly controlled by Pakistani and Chinese side and a balance will be attained in the number of officials from the two sides.

It was also decided that the 4th Board meeting would be held on 6th March, which will be chaired by the minister where an actual new board will be formulated for the tenure of 3 years, which will then not be changed unnecessarily. The board members will be nominated/terminated according to the laid down procedures, which will be similar for both sides.

The minister also decided that the loans taken separately by the Chinese Company and the "Silk Route Dry Port Trust" will not be a liability of the joint company and will be the own responsibility of these companies. The company board will also have an ex-official member from the NAs administration.

The minister stated at the occasion that Pakistan and China enjoy time-tested exemplary cordial relations which will further be strengthened by the signing of this MoU as all the disputed issues have been resolved with mutual consensus. He added that Sost Dry Port would serve as foundation for future investments and trade between the two countries.

The minister said that President Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz have expressed concern over the SDP issues and have asked the minister to get involved and resolve these at the earliest.

Chairman Sinortans, China reciprocated the minister's sentiment and said that they fully agree with the decisions reached during the meeting and would provide 100 percent support for future management of SDP.

He expressed his gratitude to the minister for taking keen interest in resolving the affairs regarding SDP and invited him to chair the next board meeting in China. Later, the minister reported the out come of the meeting to Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and presented a copy of the MoU.

http://brecorder.com/index.php?id=531838&currPageNo=1&query=&search=&term=&supDate=

 

[Neo]

Feb 24, 2007

China-Pakistan rail link on horizon
By Syed Fazl-e-Haider

QUETTA, Pakistan - Islamabad on Monday awarded a Rs72 million (US$1.2 million) contract to an international consortium to carry out a feasibility study for establishing a rail link with China to boost trade relations between the two countries.

The study will cover a 750-kilometer section between Havellian and the 4,730-meter-high Khunjerab crossing over Mansehra district and the Karakoram Highway. Havellian is already linked with the rest of the rail network in Pakistan; the Chinese will lay track within their territory up to Khunjerab, linking Pakistan with China's rail network.

By expanding its stake in Pakistan's rail sector, China is poised to exploit the country's advantageous geographical position - strategically located at the confluence of South, Central and West Asia.

Beijing's involvement in several rail projects in Pakistan is motivated primarily by commercial considerations, but it also sees distinct advantages for its improved transportation and access to Central Asia and the Persian Gulf states. A reliable network of road and rail links can only ensure China's access to energy-rich central Asia, serving it both commercially and strategically.

In the first week of this month, Pakistan Railways and China's Dong Fang Electric Supply Corp signed an agreement for establishing a rail link between Havellian and Khunjerab. Ingenieurgemeinschaft Lasser-Feizlmayr (ILF), a consortium of consultant engineers from Austria, Germany and Pakistan, is to submit its report to the Ministry of Railways in nine months. It is most likely that the distance between Havellian and Khunjerab will involve the construction of tunnels. The ILF services encompass both the construction of new high-speed railway lines and the modernization of existing lines for standard-gauge and narrow-gauge railways in addition to tunnels.

China is actively involved in the development of Pakistan Railways and for the past five years it has been increasing its stake in the country's communication sector. Pakistan Railways is a state-owned company that provides an important mode of transportation in the furthest corners of the country. It has been a great integrating force and forms the lifeline of the country by catering to its needs for large-scale movement of people. The freight-passenger earnings comprise 50% of the railway's total revenue. Pakistan Railways carries 65 million passengers annually and operates 228 mail, express and passenger trains daily. It introduced new mail and express trains between major terminals from 2003 to 2005.

Pakistan Railways has recently entered several agreements with Chinese railway companies for its development. In 2001, Pakistan Railways signed a $91.89 million contract with China National Machinery Import and Export Corp for the manufacture of 175 new high-speed passenger coaches. The project was funded by Exim Bank China on a supplier credit basis. Forty completely built passenger coaches have been received and 105 will be assembled in Pakistan Railways' carriage factory by next December.

These coaches are being used on Pakistan Railways' mail and express trains from Rawalpindi-Lahore-Karachi, Lahore-Faisalabad and Rawalpindi-Quetta. The manufacturing kits for the remaining 30 coaches have also been received and manufacturing is in progress. With 12 already assembled, the project is scheduled to be completed by next month. The passenger coaches are of the latest design and are equipped with disc brakes. The technology transfer for these coaches has been obtained from China's Chang Chun Car Co.

Under an agreement signed with China in 2003, Pakistan Railways purchased 69 locomotives, of which 15 were delivered as completely built units and are in use by Pakistan Railways. The remaining 54 are to be built at Pakistan Railways' locomotive factory. The Chinese locomotives are 37% cheaper than the European locomotives.

Some in Pakistan have been criticizing the faulty locomotives purchased by Pakistan Railways from Dong Fang Electric Corp of China. It is surprising that last year, Pakistan Railways decided to purchase 45 more 2,000-3,000-horsepower locomotives from the same company. The company is willing to redesign the already-delivered 30 locomotives of the original order, such that the underframe is strengthened and the weight reduced to less than 140 tons. Last year, as a result of an open bidding, a Chinese company, Beijing Research and Design Institute, is committed to providing 300 rail cars to Pakistan Railways.

Under another agreement signed in 2004 with China National Machinery and Equipment Group, the Chinese company is to undertake the construction of Corridor 1 of a light-rail mass-transit system for Karachi that is intended to serve 4 million commuters. The project will cost about $568 million and take four and a half years to complete. The contract has been awarded on a build-operate-transfer basis and comprises five corridors.

Pakistan signed a series of agreements with China during the past three years to enhance the capability of its railway system. Under an agreement signed between Pakistan and China Railway, a Chinese company will provide 1,300 freight cars to Pakistan Railways, of which 420 will be manufactured in China and the remaining 880 will be produced at the Moghalpura railway workshops in Lahore.

Under another project, 450 passenger coaches will be rehabilitated at an estimated cost of Rs2.14 billion. The project also includes the conversion of 40 coaches into air-conditioned cars and the conversion of 10 power vans. Furthermore, there is a provision of 100 new high-speed bogies, 30 of which will be imported from China, while 70 will be manufactured locally on a transfer-of-technology basis. Under a separate agreement, 175 new passenger coaches are being purchased from China.

As part of a $100 million agreement signed between Pakistan and China in November 2001, China is to export 69 modern locomotive engines to Pakistan to modernize Pakistan's railway fleet. The first eight engines have been completed and are ready for shipment to Karachi. The new engines consume less fuel than older models and are cheaper to maintain. The main feature of this deal is that the first 15 engines will be manufactured in China and the remainder will be assembled in Pakistan, with spare parts and technology provided by China. Similarly, for a Rs7.2 billion railway project in Sindh province involving laying 78,000 tons of rails, China delivered 64,000 tons to Pakistan Railways.

As a part of its development plan for its transport and communications network, Pakistan Railways has completed a feasibility study of the Chaman-Kandahar section for laying railway tracks between Pakistan and Turkmenistan through Afghanistan. The feasibility study for cost, engineering and design for the construction of a rail link from Gwadar to the existing rail network in Mastung district in Balochistan has also been finalized. The new link to Gwadar port will open up underdeveloped areas of Balochistan for development. The main aim of the venture is to connect the Central Asian republics with Pakistan Railways' network through Afghanistan.

China is going to be the beneficiary of Gwadar's most accessible international trade routes to the Central Asian republics and Xinjiang. By extending its East-West Railway from the Chinese border city of Kashi to Peshawar in Pakistan's northwest, Beijing can receive cargo to and from Gwadar along the shortest route, from Karachi to Peshawar. The rail network could also be used to supply oil from the Persian Gulf to Xinjiang. Pakistan's internal rail network can also provide China with rail access to Iran.

http://atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/IB24Df02.html

 

[Neo]

February 25, 2007
Rs5 billion bridge over River Indus

KARACHI, Feb 24: Sometimes next week one of the top government functionaries is performing a groundbreaking ceremony of a Rs5 billion bridge construction project on River Indus that will connect Khairpur with Sukkur and reduce the distance by 59 kilometres.

The scheme proposes to construct a two-lane 24 feet bridge over River Indus including a 43-km long approach road as approved by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) in October last and had recommended for approval to the Economic Committee of National Economic Council.

On completion, expected in next three years at a total cost of Rs4.8 billion, the bridge will not only reduce the distance between Khairpur and Sukkur but will also provide access to the highway and motorways now in process of upgrading on both left and right banks of River Indus. It is bound to open up area to the entire Pakistan.

For last more than 23 years, the people of the province particularly of these two districts have been demanding construction of an all weather permanent bridge on River Indus to save time on travelling. For one reason or the other, the inclusion of project in the Public Sector Development Programme was put off.

“Our government took up the project with renewed enthusiasm for inclusion in the PSDP after 2002 elections,” Sindh Planning and Development Minister Syed Shoib Ahmad Bokhari said in an informal conversation.

As he said a meeting of the political leaders that included the elected Nazims of the two districts and senior officials and chaired by him finalised the alignment of the bridge at North of Baqirani and North of Khuhra with the approval of the Provincial Chief Minister.

The project was included in the PSDP for 2004-05 with a token allocation of Rs5 million. It could, however, not be taken up but now has been included the PSDP for the current fiscal year. The National Highway Authority (NHA) is taking up the implementation of the project and has given a schedule.

http://www.dawn.com/2007/02/25/ebr8.htm

 

[Neo]

Sunday, February 25, 2007

CAA to spend Rs 40b on uplift of airports

LAHORE: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) would spend Rs 40 billion on the construction of new airports and upgrading of existing facilities in the coming three to seven years.

This was disclosed by CAA Director General Farooq Rehmatullah, while talking to the press, at the conclusion of a one-day regional countries conference on navigation issues and air routes. The conference was attended by the CAA representatives of India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Maldives.

The CAA DG told the press that the objective of the meeting was to improve the air routes and make them economically more viable. He added that the meeting also discussed the opportunities of training of the CAA staff of the countries concerned. He said the next meeting would be held in Nov 2007 in Islamabad. The association is called Cooperative Development of Operational Safety and Continuing Airworthiness Programme (COSCAP) South Asia.

The agenda, which came under discussion, was regional air routes, air traffic congestion, problems over Afghanistan airspace, enhancement of regional cooperation and harmonization of regulations, restructuring of CAA Pakistan and Civil Aviation Training Institute (CATI) situated at Hyderabad Pakistan.

During the press briefing, CAA DG talking about the CAA progress said that they would construct new airports and upgrade the old facilities in the coming three to seven years. He said that overall, Rs 40 billion would be spent on the projects that include the improving facilities in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Lahore, Sukkur and other places. The new airports would be constructed in Islamabad and Gwadar. He said that apart from increasing airports, the consolidation of departments and cargo services would also be focused.

He added that the CAA also wanted to improve cargo income and would make its functioning better. He added that only performance-based people would stay with reward in CAA in future.

About the air companies having debts towards the CAA, he said two of them, Bhoja and Hajvery, had been closed. He further elaborated the departmental problems and the issues pertaining to the CAA.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\02\25\story_25-2-2007_pg5_3

 

[Neo]

Rs 2 billion to be spent on revival of railway track: Rashid

CHAKWAL (February 26 2007): Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmad announced that Rs 2 billion would be spent on the revival of railway track and all the land adjacent to the railway station would be sold and a modern Railway station would be established at Chakwal and the train would start functional in a year.

Addressing a mammoth public gathering at Government College here after laying foundation stone of revival of Mandra to Bhaun Railway track. Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said on Sunday that the presidential election would be held before the general polls.

He termed the election as very important because it would be for the strengthening of Pakistan and moreover it would give stability to the democracy. MPA Chaudhry Ijaz Hussain Farhat, Malik Fida-ur-Rehman and District Nazim Chakwal Sardar Ghulam Abbas also spoke on this occasion.

Federal Minister was of the view that the Punjab province role in the coming general election would be vital and people have to decide that they would vote for the strengthening of Pakistan. He regretted that American policies were against the Muslims throughout the world and the life of the Muslims were made miserable after 9/11 incident.

He said Pakistan was the fortress of Islam. He criticised the double standard of MMA who promised that they would resign from the assemblies if woman protection bill was approved from the National Assembly and now they had backed out from their commitment.

Earlier, talking to the newsmen at historic 100 years old Chakwal Railway Station the minister was confident that after the tragedy of Samjhota Express the dialogue between Pakistan and India would not be hampered and Pakistan Government was confident that Pakistan would taken into confidence after the inquiry of the incident.

He further said that the security of both the railway trains was handed over to the rangers and both the countries were unanimous that some serious measures should be adopted for the security of Samjhota Express so that such incident should not be repeated.

District Nazim thanked General Pervaiz Musharraf for fulfilling the announcement made by President at a public meeting at Katas District Chakwal some 8 months ago and Federal Minister came here to implement the President's announcement.

http://www.brecorder.com/index.php?id=532709&currPageNo=2&query=&search=&term=&supDate=

 

[Neo]

February 26, 2007
KARACHI: Transport yet to get due attention

KARACHI, Feb 25: The public transport problem in Karachi is where it had been years ago, and there is no hope of its solution as the rulers seem not yet ready to give this pressing social, economic and human issue a proper place on the list of their priorities.

It has now become a set pattern that when the baffled Karachiites raise their concerns over this issue, the rulers pacify them with lollipops of the complete and early revival of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) and 8,000 new wide-bodies CNG buses. Years come and go, but the promises of the KCR revival and CNG buses are not fulfilled. One could only salute the Karachiites for their patience.

During morning and evening rush times daily, millions of Karachiites travel in shabby, overcrowded, painfully slow and dangerously fast buses and minibuses to reach their workplace or homes in a very pathetic manner.

To help end their plights, the former city government administration in 2001 introduced the Urban Transport System (UTS) system in Karachi, and Green Buses and some other private companies ran CNG-run wide-bodied buses. It is said that the former city nazim had envisaged bringing some 10,000 environment-friendly CNG buses in Karachi in two phases, besides a plan to convert half of the existing city buses on CNG. He had also offered incentives such as CNG at half the price of diesel, sales and import duty exemptions and concessions for installing CNG refueling stations.

He had successfully persuaded the federal government to waive the import duty and sales taxes on the import of these buses as a special case.

However, despite such ambitious plans, in practice some 300 CNG buses were brought on Karachi roads in the era of Naimatullah Khan. These included UTS and Karachi Public Transport Scheme (KPTS) buses, including 32 AC long buses of the Sweden Bus Company, 28 AC buses of the Green Bus Company, 30 non-AC buses of the World Wide Enterprises, 30 non-AC buses of the Allied Bus Service, 28 non-AC buses of the Green Bus Company and 197 non-AC buses of Metro Bus Service.

City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal also saw solution to the public transport problems in the wide-bodied CNG buses and said that histhe administration would introduce 8000 new CNG buses in five years to phase out worn-out buses from the city. According to his plan, the first tranche of these 8,000 new CNG buses had to reach Karachi by December 2006.

However, the year 2006 passed without seeing any of the promised CNG bus, and for the year 2007 there is even not even a tentative date for the first tranche. There is a ray of hope that a South Korean bus maker is setting up an assembling plant in Karachi, but when will it be finalised and begin rolling out production no one knows.

The progress on the revival of the KCR, a mega rail-based urban public transport system for this seventh largest city of the world, also seems painfully slow. It is a pity that though this ambitious project, launched as back as 1969, was abruptly closed in 1999, and since then its fate hangs in the balance. In 2004 President General Musharraf had ordered the revival of the KCR within two years, but despite the passage of three years it is still in limbo.

Though it is now said that Japanese investors are keen to invest in this project and the government had also given green light to them, to the dismay of Karachi commuters the physical work on this very vital rail-based urban project is yet to be initiated.

Many Karachiites see no hope in the early future for the revival of the KCR or introduction of CNG buses, as the ruling quarters, notwithstanding their rosy statements, seem not keen to take on the issue.

There is no concept of a urban city without a matching urban public transport system. It is interesting that the basic theme of a majority of statements of officials is that Karachi has not only joined the club of modern and developed urban cities, but it is becoming a regional hub of trade and commercial activities.

One is at loss to understand how a city having inefficient and obsolete mode of public transport could be termed a modern urban city. The public transport sector of Karachi since long has been a victim of ostrich policies of successive administrations. Sadly the present one also seems following in their footsteps. The policymakers are forgetting the basic point that they could not get rid of the pressing issues by putting them off, because these issues only get complicated and aggravated with deferral, and in later stages like chronic diseases are hard to cure.

To solve the chronic issue of public transport in Karachi, our policymakers need courage, innovation and strong political will.

Public, however, patient and naive it may be, could not be hoodwinked for too long. Statements and promises have also their limits, and they lack charm and appeal if repeated for too long.

http://www.dawn.com/2007/02/26/local25.htm

 

[Introvert]

A 1000-acre cargo complex will be built in Karachi: DG CAA ​

KARACHI: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) would be spending an enormous amount of Rs50 billion for the development of cargo infrastructure here.

CAA Director General (DG), Farooq Rahmatullah told that a cargo complex spanning over an area of 1000 acres would be built here, which would comprise of logistic centre, aircraft parking base and the refrigeration storage facilities.

He said that the hotel, shopping mall, apartments and other facilities would be constructed in the next six months at the Karachi and Lahore airports under public-private partnership with an outlay of $4.5 billion on this project.

He further said that the aviation policy would be keeping provisions for special incentives as regards the launching of small planes and helicopter services in the backward and northern areas of the country.

CBR chairman, Abdullah Yusuf on this occasion told that a 10-year plan for raising the tax rate has been prepared. He said that the customs duty income has declined due to the lesser imports, while the income tax and sales tax revenues have increased and thus the CBR revenue targets have surged by 25 percent.
http://www.geo.tv/geonews/details.asp?id=2720&param=3

 

[Neo]

Air Arabia set for Karachi, Peshawar flights

ISLAMABAD (February 27 2007): Air Arabia has announced its flights' schedule for its two new destinations in Pakistan.Inaugural flights will take off on March 4 and 7 to Karachi and Peshawar respectively, private TV news channel reported. "Air Arabia is proud to add Karachi and Peshawar to its destinations," said Air Arabia chief executive officer Adel Ali.

"We are confident that adding these two destinations can effectively cater to the large number of the Pakistani community living outside Pakistan and to offer an alternative cost effective travel for customers in Pakistan," he added.

Air Arabia's main focus is to make air travel more convenient through Internet booking and offering the lowest fares in the market without sacrificing on service or safety standards.

http://www.brecorder.com/index.php?id=532991&currPageNo=2&query=&search=&term=&supDate=

 

[Neo]

February 28, 2007
CNG-based transport in five years: CDWP approves 40 projects

By Khaleeq Kiani

ISLAMABAD, Feb 27: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on Tuesday approved an ambitious programme to introduce CNG-based public transport system in all major cities in five years. The project is aimed at replacing the existing diesel vehicles with CNG buses.

The government will provide Rs5 billion to partially offset interest costs of loans companies may need from banks to put in place the required infrastructure and purchase buses.

Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Dr Akram Sheikh presided over the CDWP meeting which approved 40 development schemes worth Rs16.6 billion, including revisions and cost overruns of 10 projects. Out of the 40 schemes, 21 worth Rs9.6 billion are in the infrastructure sector, 14 projects of Rs4.7 billion in the social sector and the remaining five in other sectors.

The projects approved include Rs1.9 billion President Musharraf’s initiative to provide scholarships to 5,500 students of Balochistan and Fata for education in top institutions in the country.

Briefing the media, Planning Commission’s spokesman Mohammad Asif Sheikh said that since CNG buses were normally expensive, the government would share the interest portion of loans to enable the private sector to establish companies with not less than 50 CNG buses.

Member (infrastructure) Dr Asad Shah told reporters that an inter-ministerial steering committee had been constituted to work out operational details of the project.

He said that about 500-600 CNG buses will hit Karachi roads early next financial year, followed by Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Rawalpindi-Islamabad.

The provincial governments will provide land for parking and related requirements to these companies on lease to reduce initial costs.

Planning Commission’s spokesman said that under the president’s programme, 3,300 students from Balochistan and 2,200 from Fata would be provided scholarship for getting education in public and private sector colleges and universities. Twenty per cent of these scholarships will be reserved for girls but there will be no bar if the number of female students goes up.

Mr Asif Sheikh said the CDWP approved a project worth Rs1.2 billion to set up 10 provincial coordination centres and 40 regional surveillance units to control bird flu, and to strengthen poultry laboratories all over the country.

He said the government was able to release 42 per cent (Rs90 billion) of the Rs213 billion Public Sector Development Programme during the first six months of the current year. Of this, Rs88 billion was utilised by line ministries and the pace of utilisation was better than last year.

http://www.dawn.com/2007/02/28/top2.htm