KARACHI, Dec 22: The Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) have vacated the defunct Karachi Road Transport Corporation’s bus depot in Model Colony and handed it over to the city district government for use as bus terminal, the Sindh High Court was told on Friday.

The court had ordered that the KRTC bus depots occupied by the police and Rangers be used as bus terminals for buses plying between Karachi and the interior of Sindh and Punjab.

The order was passed on two petitions seeking ban on entry of inter-city vehicles into the city and the bus stands set up by transporters within the municipal limits to ease the traffic congestion and curb air and noise pollution.

The court had observed that since the Baldia Town terminal set up by the city district government had become functional, the Balochistan-bound buses should not be allowed to enter the city and their mini-stands on University Road and in Lyari and Saddar should be wound up.

Pending construction of permanent terminals for inter-city and inter-provincial buses plying on the National Highway and Super Highway, the KRTC bus depot should be used as terminals.

As the petitions came before a division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah on Friday, the Pakistan Rangers informed it that the Model Colony bus depot had been handed over to the CDGK. Col Syed Ali Zulqanain Taqi, who represented the Rangers, informed the bench that the bus depot in Gulistan-i-Jauhar had also been partially handed over to the CDGK.

The bench recorded the statement and adjourned further hearing to a date to be fixed by office.