Now CNG buses to solve public transport issue

Thousands of minibuses that vanished from the roads on Saturday after Sui Southern Gas Company seized supply of CNG to fuel stations.
Sindh transport minister Akhtar Jadoon told the Sindh Assembly that “public transport buses of called the first world war era” were plying in Karachi and complained that all transporters were threating of strikes due to non avalibilty of CNG even though they were charging fares as per the rates of diesel. The minister told that new route permits to narrow-bodied minibuses would be issued. However, in all urban cities of the world road-based public transport systems are not based on narrow-bodied minibuses, but on wide-bodied buses. He complained that Karachi was content with half a century old buses when in Lahore would soon inaugurate the first bus rapid system of Pakistan. He accused the transport mafia of Karachi of not allowing any improvement in transport culture of the city as it did not want to dent its profits. He said that commuters were plying on roof racks despite Supreme Court’s orders to dismantle these roof railings. He said that in a three phase program all buses running on diesel and patrol be banned in Karachi and CDGK should only allow wide bodied CNG buses to ply in Karachi. The minister said that Proper color codes, engine fitness, proper driving license, realistic bus fares and the issuance of tickets to commuters after getting fare from them should be strictly followed. He said that “time is ripe now to stop treating Karachi commuters like sheep and goat. They should be treated as educated and civilized citizens of a mega urban city”. Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) has been in a limbo for the past decade due to the fact that the political leadership of Karachi is least interested in solving the problems of Karachi commuters .Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Pakistan Peoples’ Party-Parliamentarian (PPP-P) and Awami National Party (ANP) enjoy mandate in the city and they should seriously address the transportation problems of 7 million people.