RAWALPINDI: Unidentified persons damaged various bus stops of electric bus service in the garrison city, forcing Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC) to lodge a report against those who destroyed the facility.

A senior official of the district administration told Dawn that some unidentified persons damaged the bus shelters at various places, following which local police were requested to check the surveillance cameras under Safe City to identify the culprits.

“As in Liaquat Bagh, cameras were installed in the electric bus stop and metro bus station. But, some cameras were missing from various places,” he said.

However, he said the RMC submitted the incident’s report to the police, which launched investigations.

“Many suspected that some political opponents of the Punjab government damaged the shelters,” he said.

“It was brought to the notice of the RMC that various shelters at Liaquat Bagh, Shamsabad and electric bus stops had been damaged by unidentified persons; we have submitted the report to various police stations, including New Town and Banni,” said Rafaqat Gondal, RMC municipal officer, while talking to Dawn.

He said the RMC also informed the Regional Transport Authority as the management of electric buses and bus shelters was the responsibility of the RTA and Punjab Masstransit Authority. The RMC had executed the project to construct bus shelters.

When contacted, RTA Secretary Asad Shirazi said the local police had launched an inquiry and in this regard, it would get help from the surveillance cameras. He said the local administration had been asked to repair the damaged shelters as people were suffering.

He said the provincial government also sought report of the incident, adding that bus shelters had also been damaged in other parts of the garrison city, including the area that fell under the administrative control of the district council.

He said apparently, it was a planned attempt to damage the bus service, which was successful in the area, and people, especially women, got better travelling facilities. He said the ridership of electric buses was increasing with each passing day.

It may be mentioned here that electric buses are one of the flagship projects of the PML-N-led Punjab government and are becoming popular among people as women, students and elderly people travel on them without any fare.

In Rawalpindi, as many as 45 electric buses are being plied on seven routes while the provincial government is working to bring 35 more buses for three more routes in the garrison city.

A total of seven buses are being operated from Saddar to Qabristan Chowk on Misrial Road via Qasim Market and Shalley Valley (7 kilometres). Eight buses ply on the route from Fawara Chowk to Koral Chowk via Liaquat Bagh, Sir Syed Road and Old Airport Road (11.3 kilometres).

Seven buses are on the route from Saddar Metro Bus Station to Munawar Colony via Tulsa Road. Moreover, 14 buses are running on the route from Marrir Metro Bus Station to Motorway Chowk via The Mall and Peshawar Road (13.1 kilometres).

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2026