FINALLY, the projects launched under Karachi’s Mass Transit System with the aim to provide state-of-the-art and comfortable transportation services to the people are nearing completion after facing many delays.
Addressing Safe Karachi Conference, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail said that the much anticipated Green Line section of Bus Rapid Transit Service (BRTS) will become operational by early September.
A federal government project, Green Line, is the largest of all the other proposed metro bus routes in Karachi. It will facilitate over 300,000 passengers on a daily basis.
At the same time, the process of purchasing buses for the Orange Line section has also been started. Indeed this is good news for the people of Karachi.
The current transport system rightly recognized as the worst is not catering to the needs of the growing population of the city. The operationalization of BRTS will definitely bring ease in the life of Karachiites.
The fare should be fixed keeping in view the pocket of the common man ensuring the travel on the buses is very much within their reach.
The other projects planned under the mass transit system should also be expedited in order to ensure that the people have modern transport available on all the routes. Besides, Karachi Circular Railway should also be fully restored.
For this, there should not be any delay in the development of necessary infrastructure such as overheads and underpasses.
Whilst Lahore has an excellent transport system, Islamabad, the federal capital, misses the same.
There is only one metro bus service on a route between Saddar and Secretariat, Islamabad, which is not sufficient given the length and breadth of twin cities. In the last one/two years, the public transport system has been ruined.
Apart from ensuring early completion of Peshawar Morr-Islamabad International Airport metro bus project, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) must also come up with a well-integrated mass transit system for Islamabad and ensure its early completion. Such a transport system is the need of every big city in order to avoid traffic congestion.
The people hardly use their own vehicles when they have access to a better transport system. Such a course will also help address the issue of air pollution.
