RAWALPINDI: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday launched Phase I of the green electric bus service in the garrison city with a fleet of 45 buses on four routes.

The electric buses are equipped with air-conditioning and CCTV cameras, and the fare is Rs20 per person, while free travel facilities will be provided to women, students, senior citizens and special persons.

The new buses are also equipped with free Wi-Fi and mobile charging ports.

In the first phase, 45 e-buses will operate on four routes and the number of buses will be expanded to 80 in the coming days.

Punjab CM announces Rs30bn signal-free corridor for garrison city

The new transport system will also be introduced in Jhelum, Chakwal and Attock in the coming days.

A total of seven buses will operate from Saddar to Qabristan Chowk at Misrial Road via Qasim Market and Shalley Valley (7 kilometres).

Eight buses will run on the second route from Fawara Chowk to Koral Chowk via Liaquat Bagh, Sir Syed Road and Old Airport Road (11.3 kilometres). Seven buses will operate on the third route from Saddar Metro Bus Station to Munawar Colony via Tulsa Road.

Moreover, 14 buses will run on the fourth route from Marrir Metro Bus Station to Motorway Chowk via The Mall and Peshawar Road (13.1 kilometres).

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announced the construction of a signal-free corridor in Rawalpindi at a cost of Rs30 billion. “The work on the signal-free corridor, worth Rs30 billion, will be completed next year. Two hundred thousand people will directly benefit from it every day,” she said.

She also announced a new drainage and sewage system for villages at a cost of Rs100 billion and said the Punjab government would introduce a new law against harassment of women.

She said the Punjab government would build Thal Expressway from Rajana to Bhakkar, and after the completion of Lahore Cancer Hospital, the next cancer hospital would be built in Rawalpindi and then in DG Khan.

Maryam Nawaz added that governments deliver through hard work, not through magic.

“Some people wasted many years in politics and did not work. If you mention their names, you think of riots and abusive language. On the other hand, when you mention Nawaz Sharif, you think of development, motorways, metro and others,” she said.

Highlighting her government’s performance, she said that in one and a half years, work on roads and hospitals had reached unprecedented levels. She said Rawalpindi Metro was built by Shahbaz Sharif, and Nawaz Sharif carried out extensive development work in Murree.

“Except for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, no one has ever laid a brick in Pakistan or Punjab,” she claimed.

The chief minister said that any previous work done in Rawalpindi was carried out by Nawaz Sharif or Shahbaz Sharif, or is being done now. “Rawalpindi Metro was built by Shahbaz Sharif. All the work done in Pakistan and Punjab was done by Nawaz Sharif,” she maintained.

She said the fare for an electric bus is only Rs20, while travel is completely free for women, senior citizens, special persons and students. She said facilities such as Wi-Fi and mobile charging ports had been made mandatory. “A separate compartment for women and CCTV monitoring will help prevent harassment.

She said that 100,000 houses were under construction within a short period of 10 months. “Every day, 350 to 400 houses are being built under Apni Chhat Apna Ghar.

People are leaving rented houses and going to their own homes,” she said.

She said the first cancer hospital would start treatment in January, adding that 20 cancer patients had been treated with the coagulant machine.

She said the Sargodha Institute of Cardiology had become functional, and a similar hospital had been constructed in Murree. “1.5 million families are getting ration cards, and 80,000 intelligent children are being provided educational assistance through meritorious scholarships. The shortage of teachers is being met in schools,” she said.

Published in Dawn, November 20th, 2025