By Younis Chandio
HYDERABAD: Provincial Minister for Transport Akhtar Hussain Jadoon has said that the Sindh government has decided to launch Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Transport Program under which 1000 CNG buses would be made available to provide better and economical communication facilities to the people of different cities of Sindh.
This he said while presiding over a meeting of the officers of Regional Transport Authority at Circuit House Hyderabad last night. He said that out of these buses, 600 would be placed in Karachi while remaining 400 would be deployed at different routes of interior Sindh.
Giving statistical data of the program, he said that 100 buses would be placed at Karachi-Sukkur route, 100 at Karachi-Hyderabad and 50 each at Karachi-Larkana, Khairpur-Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto (Nawabshah) and Mirpurkhas districts, while 600 would carry out inter-city services in Karachi.
He informed that this project would be implemented within next four months and strategy for the business and to provide passenger facilities was being considered actively.
He said that under this strategy the crew of the each bus would be provided proper training and would remain in uniform. He said that this program would not only provide the better communication facilities to the citizens but would also provide the job opportunity to the skilled and unskilled manpower.
Directing the officers of Regional Transport Authority, the Sindh Minister for Transport said that the route permits issued by them must be implemented accordingly, the enforcement of government’s fare, increasing the government revenue, taking action on the violation of transport rules and creating new transport avenues within their jurisdictions. He also directed them to submit the monthly progress/recovery report on regular basis so that their performances could be evaluated. During the meeting, the participating officers mostly having additional charges expressed their difficulties in implementing the traffic rules due to lack of magisterial powers to them.
They also complained that they were working with short staff which was not in a position to streamline the transport business/rules. The Sindh Minister assured the officers that he would recommend for providing the magisterial powers to the officers of Regional Transport Authority to ensure the implementation of the transport rules. DCO Hyderabad Ali Ahmed Lund, all the officers of Regional Transport Authority including district Thatta, Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan, Matiari, Tando Allahyar, Jamshoro and Dadu attended the meeting.