KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on 27-February-2025 chaired the provincial cabinet’s meeting that took several decisions, including the provision of 1,000 pink electric motorcycles among women and operation of double-decker buses on Sharea Faisal.
The cabinet also allowed the Dow University to establish a company to manufacture anti-snake-venom and anti-rabies vaccines.
The cabinet meeting was attended by provincial ministers, advisers, special assistants, chief secretary and relevant secretaries.
The cabinet was informed that the transport department planned to launch a programme for enhancing female mobility through sustainable transportation.
It was said that the proposed initiative would introduce approximately 1,000 electric motorcycles for women, which would be distributed through an open and transparent balloting process.
The initiative required Rs300 million outside the budgetary allocation, the cabinet was told. They contributed to enhanced mobility and independence for women, promoted economic empowerment and broke gender stereotypes.
The cabinet decided that the Sindh Mass Transit Authority (SMTA) would procure the EV motorcycles through competitive bidding from one or more manufacturers, contingent on price and maintenance factors. The distribution would take place via a transparent open balloting process in the presence of media, subject to the qualification criteria including the requirement of being a permanent resident of Sindh. The applicant must be a student or a working female and she could not sell the electric motorcycle for seven years, the cabinet decided.
The cabinet was informed that the SMTA planned to procure 50 public transport buses for Karachi, including 15 double-decker buses and 35 electric buses. It was said that the transport department intended to operate the double-decker buses on Sharea Faisal and other buses on different routes of the city. The cabinet approved the proposal and decided to allocate Rs 3 billion for the project.
The cabinet was told that the Sindh government had in collaboration with the federal government launched the Greater Karachi Bulk Supply Scheme K-IV to increase water supply to the city by 1,200 cusecs.
On July 19, 2023, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved the PC-1 titled `Water Requirement for the K-IV Project,’ with a budget of Rs39,942.559 million equally split between the federal and provincial governments but since then, the cost of construction material and labour had risen significantly.
The cabinet directed the irrigation department to revise the PC-1 and get the project completed in time. The cabinet approved the proposal.
The Karachi Water Supply and Sewerage Services Improvement Project (KWSSIP) was initiated following the 2016 Karachi Diagnostic Study, the cabinet was told. This project aimed to enhance the city’s water and sewerage infrastructure with a budget of $1.6 billion and was set to be implemented over 12 years (2020-2032) in four phases. The financing is provided by the World Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and Sindh government in the ratio of 40:40:20.Formal negotiations with the World Bank occurred on October 18, 2024. After successful negotiations, the loan was expected to be effective by March 2025, pending approval from the World Bank Board.
The cabinet discussed that double cabin vehicles were being registered as commercial vehicles, whereas most of them were being used for private purposes.
This misclassification is causing significant financial losse and it was decided that the vehicles would be registered as non-commercial vehicles at a rate of 4 percent of the vehicle’s total value, with a motor vehicle fee of Rs7,000 per annum and exemptions for luxury tax and conversion fees.
The cabinet was informed that the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) had proposed forming a company titled ‘Dow Life Sciences Foundation’ to expand public health initiatives and ensure efficient management and financial sustainability.
The varsity intended to produce anti-snake venom and anti-rabies vaccines, collect plasma for drug manufacturing, establish a bioequivalence study centre (including laboratory kits, reagents and clinical trials), and produce safe drinking water. The cabinet approved the formation of the company and authorised its registration.
The cabinet discussed a proposal from SZABIST and ZEB Tech to adopt the Government Polytechnic Institute. The CM approved the proposal with a grant of Rs160.3 million.
He directed the urban and infrastructure department to increase the number of trainees in trades such as industrial garment making, stretching, dressmaking, and industrial electrification to 400,000.
Published in News Daily on 28-February-2025.