PESHAWAR: Peshawar division commissioner Riaz Khan Mehsud on Monday directed the authorities concerned to stop buses and wagons from illegally plying the roads along the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor within 72 hours.

He also directed the regional transport authority, traffic police and the district administration to submit a report in this regard.

Mr Mehsud issued the directives while chairing a meeting held here, according to a statement.

He told the meeting that authorities had already paid compensation to owners of 504 buses plying the roads along the mass transit corridor even before the bus service was made functional. However, he said that now transporters were illegally operating buses along the BRT corridor. He said that buses were being brought from Punjab and other areas. He said that the authorities usually impounded the buses and released them after a few days after the owners testified that they would take their vehicles to some other districts.

Mr Mehsud said that a few days later, the same buses again started using the same routes.

He directed the officials to scrap the impounded buses instead of handing them again to their owners.

Mr Mehusd also visited the disputed zones of the Regi Model Town along with the elders of the Kukikhel tribe.

Published in Dawn, March 4th, 2025