KARACHI: A damning report by the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team has uncovered financial irregularities exceeding Rs8 billion in the Karachi BRT Yellow Line project, describing the situation as a severe case of mismanagement and a “classic case of sham administration
The inquiry was launched to investigate financial mismanagement within the Karachi Mobility Project (KMP), which is responsible for the Yellow Line BRT corridor designed to connect Quaidabad’s Dawood Chowrangi with Nish. The project is being implemented with financial assistance from the World Bank and includes the construction of the new Jam Sadiq Bridge, Depot-I at Dawood Chowrangi, and Depot-II at Indus Hospital.
“The administrative protocols governing contract management, tax deduction and deposition into the government exchequer, and disciplined execution have repeatedly been violated,” the report stated.
Advance Payments Bypassed All Checks and Balances
The investigation found that the then-Project Director Zamir Abbasi and Director Jhaman Das issued cheques and payments to contractors while systematically bypassing “all established checks and balances,” including those involving the Project Approval Officer (PAO), consultants, the Project Management Consultant (PMC), and the Sindh Mass Transit Authority (SMTA).
A detailed in the report revealed the scale of the advance payments:
- Rs885 million for Depot-I
- Rs2 billion for Depot
- Rs5.682 billion for the Jam Sadiq Bridge
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This brings the total amount of irregular advance payments to Rs8.567 billion. The report noted these payments were made in violation of rules, providing contractors with an undue benefit and putting the entire Yellow Line project and the World Bank agreement at risk.
Project Status and Cost Discrepancies
The report highlighted the awarded costs for the project components: Rs12.53 billion for the Jam Sadiq Bridge, Rs2.64 billion for Depot-I, and Rs16.96 billion for Depot-II. Despite the massive advance payments, physical progress as of April 2026 at only 55.17% for the Sadiq Bridge, 10% for Depot-I, and 35.62% for Depot-II.
The inquiry team did not mince words about the management’s conduct. The report concluded that the matter warranted proceedings under relevant Efficiency & Discipline (E&D) and Misconduct Rules, stating that the officials’ actions reflected “unfitness for civil service” and rendered them “undeserving of any position of trust or responsibility in the future.”
Recommendations and Anti-Corruption Action
The report has recommended a series of administrative and remedial measures for the Transport and Mass Transit Department to “rescue the project.” Furthermore, it called for a criminal investigation against the project administration. Following these findings, the Anti-Corruption department has registered a First Information Report (FIR).
