KARACHI: The Sindh government on Sunday announced that three more routes of the electric bus Service would start operation between April 13 and 18 and one of the routes would cover Bahria Town Karachi, a gated housing society located on the outskirts of the metropolis.

Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, who also holds the portfolio of transport, also declared that his government had dropped a proposal to increase the fare of the Peoples Bus Service in view of rising inflation.

“Three new routes of electric buses are being introduced in the blessed month of Ramazan,” Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, told a press conference.

The minister said that the first of the three new routes would cover areas between Al-Asif Square in Sohrab Goth and Tank Chowk in Malir Canton­ment. It would become operational on April 13.

Operations of electric buses expanded to Bahria Town as three more routes announced

Buses on the second route will ferry passengers from Bahria Town Karachi to Tank Chowk, Malir Cant, from where people can take buses on an already operational route up to Naumaish. This route will become operational on April 14, he added.

“The third route, which will become operational from April 18, will start from North Karachi and culminate and Dockyard via New Karachi, Al-Asif Square, Ayesha Manzil, Guru Mandir, Empress Market and I. I. Chundrigar Road,” he added.

“This is the true reflection of the leadership of the Pakistan Peoples Party and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah who are giving top priority to Karachi and its people. Our chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari personally monitors all development projects in the metropolis,” he said.

To a question, he said that the transport department had shelved the proposal to increase the fares of the Peoples Bus Service after the Sindh chief minister instructed to provide as much relief to the people amid growing inflation.

“As of today, each route of the Peoples Bus Service on average covers a distance of 30-40 kilometres in just Rs50 per passenger which is less than the cost of motorcycle fuel,” he added.

He said that the Sindh government has so far provided Rs2,000 each to more than 2.93 million families.

Condemns Sawand’s murder

To a question about the killing of Dr Ajmal Sawand, a prominent teacher associated with the Institute of Business Admin­istration-Sukkur, in Kandhkot, the minister said that the Sindh government had strongly condemned the incident.

“The chief minister has already taken notice of the incident and whoever is involved in this crime will be dealt with iron hand. The murderers will be arrested soon,” he added.

Criticising President Arif Alvi for returning legislation involving the Supreme Court, the information minister said that the president by doing so in fact questioned the authority and supremacy of parliament.

He advised Dr Alvi to stay from “politicising” the constitutional office of the president.

“Please resign from your office if you [Dr Alvi] want to play the role of a member of the Imran Khan’s tiger force,” he said. “We do not want to see our institutions scandalised.”

Referring to former prime minister Imran Khan, he said that the man who was removed by the no-confidence motion was still trying to harm the country.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2023