Despite being a metropolitan hub, Karachi’s infrastructure and city planning are not what the megacity was built for. It requires rigorous planning and continuous upgrading of the policies to keep the system up and running, otherwise, there is just chaos and anarchy - precisely what the city has witnessed in the last couple of years. One of the basic needs of the large city right now is a better transport system, especially when it comes to public transport. The idea of public transport and that too, a better one has just been adopted in Pakistan, and like Peshawar and Lahore, Karachi is following suit too.

The Karachi Rapid Bus Transit (KRBT) is likely to be taken up by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). The bank is aiming to provide $100 million in loans for the project. The city of Karachi with its ever-increasing population and need for better transport options shows that the city requires mega-scale projects targeting particularly the troubled transport system. However, there is one particular aspect that the authorities need to plan. Based on the experimentation of the other provinces, the project and every detail relating to it need to be carefully planned.

The projects at this point are only limited to a particular side of the city. This leaves room only for betterment in one side of the city, while the rest of the city still deals with problems of heavy traffic and roads that need to be renewed. At the same time, one major concern is also choosing the best possible route for the project to complement what the city has to offer otherwise. Keeping in mind the heritage sites, the rural settlements and the environmental concerns, a plan should be laid out to overcome all points of contention.

The last concern in this matter, the proper usage of the amount allocated just for the project. Many mega projects in Pakistan have not materialised because the funds were used elsewhere or for personal interests. A committee should be formed to overhead the pace at which the project is being completed and whether or not the agenda is effective enough to actually make the project beneficial. Those businesses that are likely to be affected by the construction of the project must be compensated and the information regarding the project and the use of funds must be available for the public to see that work is actually being done.