Karachi:Inordinate delay in rapid bus transit projects of the megacity is a big atrocity to the Karachiites, as millions of commuters are facing hardships due to lethargy of federal and provincial governments, said Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Altaf Shakoor here Sunday.
He said the rulers have been befooling the Karachiites for long, as they are not willing to improve the commuting system of the megacity. He said Karachi commuters even today travel on rooftops of minibuses and dangerously improvised Chingchi rickshaws. He said Green, Orange, Blue, Red and other rapid bus projects were announced years ago, but practically there is no real progress on these vital commuting projects. He said the Green Line project is in limbo due to rifts between federal and Sindh government, but the real sufferers are the commuters of Karachi.
He asked from the federal railway minister Sheikh Rasheed, when the disbanded project of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) would be revived. He said though the apex court has already ordered removal of encroachments along the KCR track, but practically this work seem halted in district South Karachi apparently due to political reasons. He said Sheikh Rasheed has resources to run rail service for Mianawali people, but he is insensitive to the sufferings of Karachi commuters.
Altaf Shakoor said the public transport sector Karachi, is the worst public transport sector of megacities. He said even the megacity of Lahore is far ahead in public commuting sector if compared with Karachi. He said old, smoky and dangerously road-unfit buses and minibuses of Karachi mock the MPAs and MNAs of ruling party, PTI that had swept last general election in the megacity. He said Prime Minister Imran Khan and railway minister Sheikh Rasheed are paying lip service to Karachi commuters but they shy away from taking sincere and concrete steps to revamp the commuting system of Karachi. He said the ruling party of Sindh, PPP, has never been interested in development of Karachi. He said this government has even failed to remove illegal bus terminals from Saddar and other residential areas of the megacity.
Altaf Shakoor said an efficient commuting system is economic lifeline of a megacity. He said Karachi is deprived of its rights as there is no provision for the megacity governments in the constitution of Pakistan. He demanded immediate completion of the Green Line and KCR, besides start urgent work on remaining BRT projects. He appealed to the apex court to initiate contempt proceedings against those who are delaying the court orders for revival of Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) and tram service in megacity.