IN the past a number of green line bus projects were initiated in Karachi. Former city nazim Naimatullah Khan started green bus project, importing buses from Sweden. Mustafa Kamal started another such project with locally-manufactured buses and now Nawaz Sharif has also started a green bus project.

Unfortunately, all these projects have always been on the same route — Surjani Town to M.A. Jinnah Road.

There are so many routes on which buses can run. But everyone wants to start the project on the same route.

First, the buses started by former nazims should be revived. The prime minister should then form separate boards to run these buses, which should run the affairs independently.

If these buses are given to the Sindh government transport department, the fate of these buses would be no different than that of the previous ones.

No system could survive without good governance and rule of law. In the past, almost 10 transport systems, including the Karachi Transport Corporation, the Karachi Circular Railway, the green bus project, and the Karachi Road Transport Corporation failed because of poor governance and lack of rule of law.

Karachi’s green line bus may help reduce people, but it comes at the cost of environmental losses.

The country’s financial hub already lacks greenery. Last year’s deadly heatwave added to environmental degradation.

There is no denying the fact that development is necessary, but it should not come at the cost of environment. We need to plant more trees. Our city planners should keep environmental concerns in mind while undertaking development.

According to reports, thousands of trees will be chopped to make way for the long route of the green line project. The project managers plan to replant trees during the course of the construction.

The greenbelt was lined with thousands of trees but whenever trees were cut they were never planted again.

Ghazanfar Ali Khan

Karachi

Published in Dawn September 18th, 2016