Electric buses to start plying three more routes in Ramazan

The electric bus service will be launched on three more routes in Karachi during Ramazan, Sindh Information and Transport Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon announced during a press conference on Sunday.

Memon also disclosed that on the directives of Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, the proposal to increase the fares of the Peoples Bus Service, which is operational in Karachi and other urban parts of the province, has been deferred twice for the benefit of the people.

The transport minister told the media persons that the proposal to increase the fares of the Peoples Bus Service was presented twice in the meeting of the provincial cabinet but it was deferred on the directives of the CM.

Memon said the CM has given directions to this effect to ensure the welfare of the people of the province to the maximum possible extent amid the phenomenal hike in the prices of essential products.

He said that a passenger commuting through a carrier of the Peoples Bus Service can travel up to 40 kilometres on a fare of just Rs50. This sum is way less than what someone spends to cover such a distance on a motorbike, he added.

He informed the journalists that three new routes of electric buses are being launched in Karachi on the special directives of the leadership of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the CM.

The first new route of electric buses from Al-Asif Market of Malir to Tank Chowk will be launched on April 13. The second route from Bahria Town on the M-9 motorway to Tank Chowk and from Tank Chowk to Numaish will be launched on April 14. The 30km-long third route from North Karachi to Dockyard via Al-Asif Square, Ayesha Manzil, Gurumandir, Empress Market and II Chundrigar Road will be launched on April 18.

Cash assistance

Memon said that over 2.9 million low-income families in the province have so far received cash support of Rs2,000 each. He said the provincial government has extended this cash assistance to help the deprived families registered with the Benazir Income Support Programme in purchasing wheat flour during Ramazan.

He added that the provincial government has so far spent over Rs5 billion for providing cash support to destitute families in the province so that their expense of purchasing wheat flour can be reduced.

He told the media that families having a total monthly income of less than Rs50,000 can text their CNIC number to 8171 to get themselves registered for this special cash support.

Great debate

Memon informed the media that almost a year has passed since the application for the democratic means of a no-confidence motion for the ouster of an ineligible person from the office of the prime minister.

He recalled that prior to that, illegal means had been used for the dismissal of earlier PMs. He said that since his ouster from power, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has been continuing his activities to harm national interests to date.

Memon said that the maladministration and inefficiency shown by Khan during his stint in power had become problematic both for the people and the state institutions.

He claimed that the PTI chief had used backdoor means to come into power, pointing out that Khan had also been facing the allegations of getting foreign funding from Indian and Israeli lobbies.

He urged media persons, journalists and other relevant sections of society to initiate a great debate to determine how Khan and his loyalists had been repeatedly given undue concessions and the certificates of Sadiq and Ameen by the courts.

The information minister said that it seemed that an investigation cannot be conducted to look into the allegations of corruption pending against Khan and other leaders of his PTI. He said that deliberate attempts have been made in the past to cover up the corrupt practices of Khan and his associates.

Replying to a question, Memon said that the PPP is always ready for contesting the elections, but at the same time, the party avoids politics of confrontation.

He said that the apex judiciary should desist from giving illegal and unconstitutional judgments. He appealed to the apex judiciary to immediately adjudicate the reference pending a review of the case against PPP founder and former PM Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.