KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has held KMC officials responsible for adding to commuters’ woes in Karachi by failing to bring a fleet of 36 CNG buses on roads by the end of June and warned if the department concerned failed to ply the fleet by Sept 2, it would be disbanded.

The chief minister said at a meeting on the progress of the departments concerned on the mass transit programme held here on Friday the government had spent Rs40 million on the repair and reconditioning of buses which were supposed to be on roads before Eidul Fitr but it did not happen because of the officials’ lethargy.

The 36 buses were part of a large fleet of 95 buses the KMC had purchased at a cost of Rs1 billion some five years ago but dumped them at Surjani bus terminal after plying them for just a year or so.

The Sindh government plans bringing 36 buses on roads in the first phase followed by Greenline, Yellowline and Orangeline bus projects which will cost Rs15 billion, Rs12 billion and Rs3 billion, respectively.

The chief minister directed the officials to expedite work on intercity bus project so that at least 100 out of 358 buses could be brought on roads between Karachi and all divisional headquarters to facilitate 3,85000 commuters.

The meeting was attended by Sindh Minister for Transport Mumtaz Jakhrani, adviser to CM Syed Murad Ali Shah, chief secretary, additional chief secretary (P&D), secretary to CM, secretary transport, secretary finance, commissioner Karachi, administrator of KMC and director of Karachi Mass Transit Cell.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2014