KARACHI: The Sindh government on Friday said the Centre was mainly responsible for the undesired delays in crucial Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) projects in Karachi, which had been hindered on many occasions, denying the city modern modes of transport which it should have got years earlier.

`It is the federal government and only the federal government which is responsible for undesired delays in BRT projects, said Transport Minister Awais Shah while speaking to reporters at his office.

He said Islamabad had not included the Red Line and Blue Line BRT projects in the agenda of the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC).

He said the Sindh government was grateful to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for approving loans for the BRT Red Line.

He added the ADB had approved $235 million while the federation had been `ignoring` development in Sindh for reasons better known to Islamabad while the megacity of Karachi badly needed an ef ficient transport system.

`The Sindh government had to contact the ADB for these projects because the federal government had long been lending a deaf ear to our crucial mass transit projects,` said the minister.

He said the BRT Red Line project would cater to 300,000 citizens of Karachi for convenient travel on certain busy routes.

He said some 29 bus stations would be established in accordance with the Red Line project.

`This is a huge project for the citizens of Karachi, which was overdue, yet, will ease out the increasing problems relating to absence of quality modes of travel.

He claimed that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led central government had adopted `anti-Sindh` policies and was creating hurdles.

`The present federal government has adopted the tactics to punish people of Sindh, yet, that will not hinder our will to serve everyone living in the province, said Mr Shah.

He said the BRT Red Line project`s groundbreaking would begin in December or January next year.

He blamed the PTI and its partners in the federal government, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, for hindering the development of Karachi.

`The PTI and those decent people from Bahadurabad pose obstacles in the development of Karachi.