KP to procure 50 more buses for BRT

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet on Friday approved the procurement of 50 additional diesel-hybrid buses for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Peshawar at an estimated cost of Rs3.2 billion.

The decision was taken during the 34th cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, said a handout.

It stated that the expansion of BRT’s operational routes from six to eight, along with increased public demand, had necessitated the fleet expansion.

TransPeshawar had initially procured 220 buses, with 24 added in 2022, bringing the total to 244.

The cabinet okayed the merger of the Annual Development Plan Scheme campuses of the Model Institute for State Children “ZamungKor” in Swat, Dera Ismail Khan, Abbottabad, and the Girls Campus in Peshawar into the main autonomous ZamungKor institute in Peshawar.

Currently, 600 children are enrolled in the Peshawar campus and 425 in the four other campuses.

The cabinet gave the nod to signing an agreement with Pak Qatar Asset Management as the 13th Asset Management Company under the Contributory Provident (CP) Fund Rules, 2022.

This is part of ongoing pension reforms launched in 2015 to shift from an unfunded pension system to a funded scheme. Contributions from both employees and the government are now invested via SECP-licensed asset management firms.

Amendments to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right to Public Services Act, 2014, were also approved.

The changes aim to improve coordination between the Commission and departments, enhance e-governance, and ensure public oversight and accountability. A provision for reasonable accommodation has also been added for marginalized communities.

An amendment to Sub Rule (7), Rule 11 of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Rules, 2021, was given the nod.

It reduces the response time for bidders from 60 to 30 days. A committee was constituted to review the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public Lands Utilization and Management Bill, 2025.

The cabinet also approved the KP Non-Governmental Organization (Human Rights) Rules, 2025.

A non-ADP scheme costing Rs124 million was approved for resuming salaries of PERRA’s contract staff. Termination notices will be issued to the staff effective from July 1, 2025, and the PERRA DG was directed to resolve pending matters.

The cabinet approved cost increases for several major health projects. The “Construction of Category-C Hospital at Balakot” was revised from Rs575 million to Rs924.596 million.

The budget for “Rehabilitation of RHCs” was increased from Rs934.322 million to Rs1.707 billion, while “Strengthening of BHUs” rose from Rs1.652 billion to Rs2.961 billion. Additionally, Rs346 million was approved for the Peshawar Institute of Cardiology to acquire advanced equipment.

The cabinet relaxed the ban on vehicle procurement and approved the purchase of two official vehicles for district and sessions judges in Mohmand and Khyber districts.

It also approved the annual budget for 2024–25 of the Pakhtunkhwa Highway Authority and the revival of the ADP scheme “Support to Islamia College University Peshawar (for research centre).”

Funds amounting to Rs 1.5 billion were sanctioned for repair and maintenance of transformers across various districts.

A supplementary grant of Rs 1.041 billion was approved for Pesco electricity dues and liabilities of TMAs and WSSCs for 2024–25. Additionally, Rs 400 million was allocated for water sector repairs under the Irrigation Department.

The cabinet approved the inclusion of Makniyal in the Urban Area Development Authority (UADA), Haripur, and constituted a committee to assess the implementation mechanism for curbing illicit timber cutting in the Arandu Gol Forests of Chitral and Upper Kohistan.

Rubab Mehdi was appointed as the new Ombudsperson Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace.

The cabinet also approved the outsourcing of tobacco cess collection (excluding factory sources) under Rule-5 of the Recovery of Tobacco Cess Rules, 2004. Legal counsel will be hired for an anti-narcotics case in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.