The Sindh Accountant General (AG) Office has released funds to facilitate the clearance of Chinese-imported buses currently held at Karachi Port, paving the way for an expansion of the city’s People’s Bus Service fleet.
Follow Times of Karachi on Google News and add as a preferred Source on Google
The buses were procured during the tenure of the previous Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government but had reportedly remained at the port due to delays in the release of funds required for their clearance.
The release of funds followed intervention by then Sindh Caretaker Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar, who took notice of the prolonged delay.
Baqar directed the Accountant General Sindh to release the required amount without further delay to ensure the buses could be cleared from the port.
The caretaker chief minister also expressed concern that prolonged delays could result in the buses developing faults or deteriorating while remaining unused.
He warned that the relevant authorities would be held responsible if the vehicles suffered damage because of the delay.
The clearance of the imported buses is expected to help expand Karachi’s People’s Bus Service and provide additional public transport options for commuters.
Baqar also stressed the need to accelerate major public transport projects in Karachi, including the Karachi Circular Railway and the completion of all planned Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridors.
He said efforts would also be made to coordinate with the federal government for the early approval of the BRT Red Line Corridor by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).
The initiatives were aimed at improving Karachi’s public transport infrastructure and addressing the city’s long-standing transportation challenges.
