Sindh govt scraps BRT Red Line contract, plans emergency re-award

The Sindh government has cancelled a major construction contract for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Red Line project in Karachi, citing persistent delays, and plans to re-award the remaining work on an emergency basis, Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon said on Wednesday.

The terminated contract covers the Mosamiyat–Numaish section of the long-delayed project. According to Memon, the contractor failed to complete work within the agreed timeline despite repeated warnings. He added that the government had attempted to facilitate the contractor by addressing issues such as rate escalation.

The project, funded by the Asian Development Bank, has also drawn concern from stakeholders over slow progress and environmental impact. To accelerate completion, authorities now intend to divide the remaining work into smaller packages and award them to multiple contractors.

Spanning approximately 27 kilometres from Malir Halt to Numaish via University Road, the Red Line project was launched in 2017 with an estimated cost of Rs79 billion. However, delays and administrative challenges have pushed the cost to Rs103bn.