KARACHI, July 17: Despite tall claims made by the provincial and the city governments, most of the illegal intercity bus terminals are still functioning in the city in connivance with the authorities concerned.

Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad while inaugurating the first intercity bus terminal in Baldia Town on RCD Highway in November last year had directed shifting of all illegal bus terminals to the city outskirts.

Responding to the governor's call, City Nazim Mustafa Kamal had assured that the intercity buses being operated from certain unauthorised terminals would soon be shifted to the new bus terminal but even after the passage of nearly a year, no action has been taken in this regard.

Transporters plying intercity buses are still operating around 70 illegal bus terminals in various parts of the city including old Sabzi Mandi, Al-Asif Square Sohrab Goth, Taj Complex on main M. A. Jinnah Road, Cantonment Railway Station, Sultanabad PIDC, Mauripur, Garden Road, Nishtar Road, Banaras Chowk, Orangi Town, Al-Karam Square Liaquatabad, and Nazimabad.

Initially, the city authorities had planned to establish three intercity bus terminals but during the last year, only one such terminal that was started in the era of the former city nazim, Niamatullah Khan, at Yousuf Goth, Baldia Town on RCD Highway could be made functional.

According to initial plans, two more such terminals had to be established at Razaqabad, Landhi on National Highway and at Deh Bhatti Umeri, Scheme 33, on the Super Highway but no progress had so far been made on these two projects.

It was envisaged in the plan that transporters plying buses on Karachi-Balochistan routes would use the RCD Highway terminal while those operating between Karachi and the interior of Sindh, Punjab and the NWFP would be restricted to use Super Highway terminal. Similarly, transporters operating between Karachi and certain parts of Sindh were to use the National Highway intercity bus terminal.

These three sites had been proposed by the Traffic Engineering Bureau (TEB) in its survey completed in 1999 and in 2001.

Nine months have passed since the announcement of City Nazim Mustafa Kamal regarding the completion of the remaining two bus terminals but progress in this regard is still awaited.

— Online