WHAT would in any case have been embarrassing for the authorities was made only much more so by the fact that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had taken such keen personal interest in the project. Last week, as residents of Rawalpindi and Islamabad greeted the rain with relief, some of the stations of the new Metro Bus line were inundated. The underground stations on 6th Road and I.J. Principal Road saw accumulated rainwater that caused the escalators to become dysfunctional. And on the newly built elevated bus roadway between Saddar and Faizabad there was considerable accumulation of rainwater, raising the question of whether the drainage system was adequate — especially given the heavy rains and intense cloudbursts that are common in this area. To be sure, not all the flooding was because of insufficient infrastructure. Nevertheless, there is reason to question whether enough thought, research and planning have gone into the two mass transit systems that are already up and running in Lahore and the twin cities, as well as those that are being planned.

There is no doubt that mass transit systems are urgently needed in most of our big cities. However, public money is being spent. Are cities getting the best bang for the buck? True, the Metro Bus systems in Lahore and Islamabad/Rawalpindi are moving hundreds of thousands of passengers. Nevertheless, questions remain about whether the best routes were chosen. In which city would a subway system be a better and greener solution? What are the merits of rail versus bus? The Shahbaz Sharif government is planning to add the Orange Line Metro Train to the Lahore mass transit system, but hundreds of trees are to be felled. Has a credible study been conducted regarding the long-term impact on the environment? These questions, like the creation of mass transit systems, are of tremendous public interest. It behoves the government to confide in the people, in an accountable and transparent manner, so that the legacy it so seeks to leave behind is indeed a positive one.

Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2015

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