IT is amusing to read about conferences and seminars on climate change organised regularly when viewed from the perspective of the hastily launched metro bus project by both the RDA and the CDA in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

This project will prove disastrous, both environmentally and aesthetically, by wiping out median strips, green-belts, parks, etc. Instead of spending billions on creating a dedicated corridor for the metro bus, all existing roads along its route could be made signal-free by constructing interchanges, flyovers, underpasses, etc.

This will benefit all types of traffic and public transport, as well as the metro bus, and avoid unnecessary destruction of green-belts.

Ironically, the CDA has no funds at its disposal even to paint lane markings on roads, remove graffiti from traffic signboards, fill pot-holes on roads, repair footpaths and replace streetlight bulbs, yet it has ample funds for launching the metro bus project.

Even the Supreme Court failed to take suo motu action regarding this vital matter to prevent violation of Islamabad’s master plan and degradation of its green-belts.

Moreover, the ‘public hearing’ conducted by the RDA and the CDA was also a farce since Pak-EPA was nowhere to be seen and 90pc of the so-called ‘public’ were actually political workers and supporters of the PML-N.

The project was launched even before issuing of a dummy NOC from Pak-EPA. This is hard to imagine even in a banana republic, let alone the capital of a nuclear power.

Fuad Enver

Islamabad

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2015

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