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LAHORE, Sept 1: The Punjab government has decided to franchize inter-city routes between Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura and Gujranwala, and allow a 10 per cent subsidy on CNG buses.
Provincial Transport Minister Rana Shamshad Ahmad said this while presiding over a meeting of the Cabinet Committee for Transport at the Civil Secretariat here on Wednesday. Provincial ministers Sardar Hasnain Bahadar Dreshak, Gul Hameed Khan Rokhari and Chaudhry Zaheeruddin attended the meeting.
He said the transporters desirous of franchizing of any of the three inter-district routes would have to operate a minimum of 100 buses and accept the government decision in respect of fare.
He said bus services operators would be provided space for terminals in case of availability of state land. The companies would have to produce evidence of lease or ownership of land for establishing terminals otherwise.
The transport secretary said 1,083 buses were plying on 51 franchized routes in the province. As many as 1.3 million passengers, including 130,000 women, travelled on these buses daily.
He said 12 new companies had entered into franchize agreements with the transport department while negotiations were in progress with another six companies. Nearly 1,000 more buses were expected to come on road during the next six months.
CRACKDOWN: District Coordination Officer Khalid Sultan on Wednesday ordered launching of a fresh crackdown on butchers selling mutton and beef at exorbitant rates and milkmen keeping milch cattle in prohibited zones.
The DCO ordered that special task forces should be constituted for nabbing the butchers and ejecting the milch cattle from the prohibited zones. He said camps comprising task force, livestock department and police officials should be set up in every town for arresting the butchers selling beef and mutton at exorbitant rates. Town Nazims should monitor the performance of the camps.
He directed the executive district officers (finance and revenue) to submit a survey report about the milch cattle being kept in the prohibited zones within two weeks for launching a fresh operation for their shifting to gowala colonies, where sewerage and water supply facilities were being improved at a cost of Rs4 million.
