QUETTA: The Balochistan High Court has directed the authorities to submit comprehensive reports on public transport, local buses, rickshaws and traffic issues in the provincial capital.

A two-judge BHC bench comprising Chief Justice Muhammad Kamran Khan Mullahkhail and Justice Muhammad Najamuddin Mengal issued the order while hearing a constitutional petition concerning public transport and traffic problems in Quetta.

The secretary general of the Regional Transport Authority (RTA), Quetta division, submitted a progress report, informing the court about the provision of 27 e-vehicles for Quetta and 10 diesel buses for other districts of the province.

The report also covered a public transport scheme for lawyers, transfer of land for a local bus terminal on Sariab Road, permits for coasters operating on the Quetta-Kuchlak route, action against illegal and excess rickshaws, and progress on the computerisation of 9,451 manual rickshaw permits.

During the hearing, BHC Bar Association President Advocate Attaullah Lango drew the court’s attention to the continued operation of local buses on Quetta’s main and feeder routes despite previous court directions.

He said that under a public transport facility for lawyers from Quetta, Pishin and Khuzdar, two diesel buses, two pink vans, two electric shuttle carts and 100 pink electric scooters had been allocated. However, he said, significant progress had yet to be made on the scheme.

In response to the court’s query, it was stated that 100 pink e-scooters, along with helmets, allocated for women lawyers had been received. However, practical steps regarding the other transport facilities allocated for lawyers had not yet been completed.

The additional advocate general inf­ormed the court that the land allocated for a local bus terminal at the site of the old octroi warehouse on Sariab Road had not yet been transferred to the commissioner or RTA chairman and secretary, preventing practical progress on the project.

Balochistan Traffic Engineering Bureau Director (Administration) Shakil Ahmed told the court that a project to provide e-vehicles as an alternative to motor rickshaws in Quetta had initially been included in this fiscal year’s Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), with an allocation of Rs1.2353bn.

However, following observations by the court, the project was assigned to the Public-Private Partnership Authority and its cost was revised to Rs595.72m. The revised proposal is currently under consideration by the planning and development department for a final decision.

Expressing concern over the situation, the court directed the Additional Advocate General to submit comprehensive reports, duly signed by the transport secretary, at the next hearing on the current status of transfer of land allocated to the RTA for a local bus terminal; provision of electric vehicles as an alternative to motor rickshaws in Quetta and the current status of the project; approval of the public transport facility for lawyers and practical progress made on the scheme.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2026