Transport minister’s aide gets the boot as CM-connection rules the roost

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KARACHI – A former employee of the Karachi Public Transport Society (KPTS) has landed the post of the society’s administrator, replacing the provincial transport minister’s close aide, on recommendation of the Sindh chief minister, it has been reliably learnt.
Earlier, ignoring the Sindh High Court (SHC) order, Sindh Transport Minister Akhtar Jadoon had appointed his close friend Sarwar Khan as the KPTS administrator by replacing the senior-most KPTS employee Shamsuddin Abro. Well-placed sources said that Abro had also approached the SHC and got a stay-order; however, the transport minister did not comply with the court orders and kept Khan on the key post.
Following the refusal of Transport Department regarding disturbing Abro from his post and stopping his salaries, the SHC on July 23, 2010 had suspended the notification of Khan’s appointment as the KPTS administrator but the transport minister stuck with his decision.
Khan had remained on the key post for more than 8 months, until a former KPTS employee named Abdul Rasheed Buriro was appointed as the society administrator recently.
The sources claimed that Buriro had been recommended by Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah due to his political affiliations with the ruling PPP.
The KPTS is assigned to provide better transport facility to the residents of the city besides providing assistance in maintaining and supervising transport related facilities including bus stops, lane separation for fast and slow traffic, bus terminals, bus maintenance facilities, removal of encroachments along the roads and social education for users and transporters in coordination with the agencies concerned.
The society is also responsible for replacement of old and obsolete vehicles with new and better vehicles, to control air/noise pollution thereby protecting the mental and physical health of the people, take necessary measures to help in controlling and preventing road accidents and guidance for the victims of traffic incidents.