RAWALPINDI: The district administration has transferred Pirwadhai General Bus Stand from Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC) to the Regional Transport Authority (RTA).

The decision has been taken on the recommendation of a committee formed by Deputy Commissioner Nadeem Nasir to ascertain the bad condition of the bus stand.

All C-class bus stands in the province are being managed by municipal corporation or municipal committees while B-Class bus stand came under the administrative control of Punjab Transport department.

A senior official of RTA told Dawn that if the status of Pirwadhai General Bus Stand is changed to B-Class General bus stand then Punjab Transport department will manage the financial and operational affairs.

Workers federation appeals to chief minister to ensure restoration of corporation’s property

The officials presented the report to the deputy commissioner and informed him that the General Bus Stand Pirwadhai, established in 1976, spans an area of over 210 kanals and currently operates as a ‘C-Class’ bus stand. It handles a daily footfall of approximately 40,000 passengers, with around 65 public service vehicles passing through every hour.

While 37 active stands are available for 65 transport companies, the report highlighted a need to improve the existing infrastructure and administrative systems to meet the demands of passengers and transport operations.

The committee recommended upgrading the bus stand from ‘C-Class’ to ‘B-Class’ and explored the possibility of preparing a new master plan—keeping future needs in mind—and increasing the number of bus bays to approximately 80.

The transfer of the property valued at billions of rupees from the corporation to the RTA has sparked concern among municipal employees.

However, the status of bus stand was not upgraded and it was handed over to RTA.

According to officials, under the law, ‘C-Class’ bus stands remain under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation. For ‘B-Class’ bus stands, while administrative control is delegated to the Secretary RTA, the property itself, including ownership and all forms of revenue, such as shop rentals, remains with the Municipal Corporation.

Even in the case of ‘C-Class’ facilities, the ‘Adda administrator’ (terminal manager) is appointed by the corporation; the same principle applies to the Pirwadhai General Bus Stand. This bus stand was constructed on land purchased by the RMC itself, and it serves as a source of revenue for the municipality.

Even if the Secretary RTA is granted administrative oversight, this does not imply that they become the owner of the property, nor does it justify diverting the millions of rupees collected in shop rentals away from the municipal fund. There is a significant distinction between administrative control and ownership rights.

According to Ghulam Mohammad Naz, Chairman of the All Pakistan Local Government Workers Federation (Punjab), the RTA has been seeking full ownership and control for several years under the guise of administrative oversight.

According to conservative estimates, an administrative order was issued to transfer corporation property valued at approximately 25 billion rupees to the RTA.

The All Pakistan Local Government Workers Federation stated that to preempt any potential protests by corporation staff, the elected president of the employees’ union was sent to jail under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance.

According to the employees, the bus stand served as a major source of revenue for the corporation; it not only supported public welfare and development initiatives but also provided the funds necessary for the salaries and pensions of both current and retired employees.

They appealed to the Chief Minister of Punjab Maryam Nawaz and Senior Provincial Minister Maryam Aurangzeb to take immediate notice of the situation and ensure the restoration of the corporation’s property.

Meanwhile, in a joint statement, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah (Chairman), Bilal Ahmed Khan (Central President), and Naseeruddin Humayun Malik (Central General Secretary) of the All Pakistan Local Government Workers Federation condemned the arrest and subsequent imprisonment of Raja Haroonur Rashid, President of the Municipal Labour Union (CBA) at the RMC.

Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2026