TAXILA: Punjab Minister for Transport and Mass Transit, Bilal Akbar Khan said that residents of Attock would soon witness electric buses navigating on key routes, and marking a significant step towards sustainable urban transportation.

He added that the main bus stand would be upgraded with modern facilities, and public transport on new inter-district and inter-provincial routes would be introduced soon. He was speaking to newsmen during his visit to Attock on Wednesday.

Deputy Commissioner Rao Atif Raza, Additional Deputy Commissioner Revenue Waqas Aslam Marth, Additional Deputy Commissioner Finance and Planning Nosheen Israr, Additional Deputy Commissioner General Anil Saeed, Assistant Commissioner Anza Abbasi, Secretary Regional Transport Authority Sardar Zaheer Ahmed Khan, DSP Traffic Chaudhry Tahir Abbas, Chief Officer Attock Municipality Sardar Aftab Ahmed Khan, Director Social Welfare Arif Mahmood Siddiqui and other officials of district administration were also accompanied him.

The transport minister announced that female commuters and differently-able persons would travel free, with subsidised for students, ensuring common man benefits from this Punjab government initiative.

Mr Khan stated that the province is rapidly transitioning towards electric mobility, marking a new era of sustainable transportation. “The initiative is part of the government’s broader vision to reduce urban pollution and improve the public transport network”, he added.

He said that the government with the assistance of all other departments esp0ecially RTA, traffic police, patrolling police and national highway and motorway police would make efforts to curb the tendency of exploiting the travellers heading towards their home towns to celebrate the Eid. He said that special squads would be formed on intercity and inter-district routes and exploiters would be dealt with iron hand.

Responding to a question, he said that the provincial government is making all-out efforts to tame the sugar hoarding and illegal profiteering mafia and no one would be allowed to challenge the writ of the government. He assured the transporter community that their route permit biometric issues would be resolved on a war footing basis. Emphasising the vital role of transporters in sustaining national development, he stated that the government was committed to resolving their challenges within the framework of the law.

Later, he visited the Ramzan bazaar and checked the quality and prices of the food items at different food stalls. He praised the district administration, terming it a model for other districts to follow.

Earlier, during a meeting at the deputy commissioner’s office to review the performance of the government departments, the minister said he had been entrusted by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to oversee coordination among stakeholders in Rawalpindi Division to provide relief to the public.

Public representatives and district heads participated in the meeting, which was briefed by Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Rao Atif Raza regarding the district administration performance. ”The government department officials and public representatives would join hands to introduce and launch regional policies to address the problems and needs of the respective area”, he said.

Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2025