‘E-bus service to be functional in Rawalpindi next year’

Rawalpindi: The e-bus service in Rawalpindi will be functional next year. The projects aims to resolve commuting issues being faced by the citizens. There will be six routes including, one from Taxila, Wah Cantt, IJ Principal Road to Octori 26, and another connecting Daultala with Rawalpindi. Maintenance work on Metro Bus tracks will be carried out from June to December this year. This was disclosed by Provincial Transport Minister, Bilal Akbar Khan during a press conference here on Thursday.

He informed that he was regularly paying visits to Rawalpindi on the special instructions from Chief Minister Mariam Nawaz Sharif to solve prevailing issues of transportation and traffic management in the city. He said that consultation with the members of the national and provincial assemblies was also underway in that regard. Suggestions have been taken from local MNAs and MPAs to review the routes.

The minister noted that the Metro Bus service was provided in the city eight to nine years ago, but the previous government did not invest a single penny on its functionality and repair. The repair work of Metro Bus track will start from June and will be completed by December. The minister said successful Metro Bus service has rejected the negative propaganda which was launched against PML-N for building metro bus, he said adding that millions of citizens travel by metro bus at present.

Without Metro Bus, the road conditions would have been worsened, he added. While highlighting the key development initiatives by the Punjab government, the minister said chief minister added 32 new field hospitals in the health care system in 100 days, including delivery dispensary pharmacies where 35 thousand people approximately are receiving free treatment on daily basis. Moreover stern actions are being taken against complaints of harassment of women. In the e-bikes project, 20 thousand students will be given motorbikes without interest, on two years instalments.

All 7,500 female applicants will be provided e-bikes. He informed that almost all government institutions of the province have been digitised. The files of the certificated vehicles will be delivered at the doorstep under Dastak project. A fee of Rs900 has been fixed, out of which 100 rupees will be charged as a token fee by the Government of Punjab.

The minister strongly rejected false propaganda of political victimisation. We do not believe in politics of vandalism. The claim of the opposition of stealing the election is now a story of past, he said. He went on saying that the previous government had increased inflation in the country.

In the year 2022, the IMF agreement was breached which caused a heavy burden on people in the shape of electricity and gas bills he said. However the minister said the current government would cut the electricity and gas prices in consultation with the IMF.