Cabinet approves KP Urban Mass Transit Act

Proposed legislation envisages establishment of Urban Mobility
Authority; minister says Rs25b estimated for Mass Transit project

PESHAWAR: The provincial cabinet on Tuesday approved the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Urban Mass Transit Act 2016 to provide modern transport facilities to the people.

The approval was given at a meeting with Chief Minister Pervez Khattak in the chair to establish Urban Mobility Authority with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank.

Briefing reporters about the decision of the cabinet meeting at the Peshawar Press Club, Minister for Public Health Engineering Shah Farman said the proposed authority would set up urban transport companies that would have an autonomous Board of Directors.

He said the authority would be headed by chief minister and minister for transport as chairman and vice chairman, respectively.

He added the proposed authority would have 14 members, including three each from the provincial assembly and civil society.

Shah Farman said the authority would devise policies as per international standards and would establish mass transit system across the province.

He said Rs25 billion had been estimated for Mass Transit project, which would be formally executed by 2017 with completion of timeframe of one year.

The minister said more than 100 buses would be acquired for the project, which would ply from Chamkani to Karkhano via Grand Trunk Road.

He said the feasibility study had been initiated for the proposed bus rapid transit.

Flanked by Director Information Muhammad Shoaib and others, he said the meeting also discussed the driving licence issue, adding the cabinet had already taken a decision about the matter that Transport Department will issue commercial driving licences, while the Traffic Police would be authorised to issue non-commercial licences.

Shah Farman said the forest duty on chilgoza (pines), beverages and mushrooms had been decreased. He said the levy was imposed as per Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Forest Ordinance 2002 on dry fruit.

The provincial cabinet also approved recommendations for making changes in proposed draft bill on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public Private Partnership (amendment) Act 2016 proposed during last meeting chaired by the additional chief secretary. 

The minister said the meeting approved certain amendments to the Procurement Regulatory Authority Act 2012 after detailed discussion.

He said the meeting approved special package for members of provincial assembly, who fell victim to acts of terrorism. He said the meeting also approved the incentives for heirs of slain minority MPA Sardar Soran Singh.

To a question, the minister defended his party’s decision to suspend MPAs developmental funds, saying the basic job of the MNAs and MPAs was to legislate.

Shah Farman maintained that it was the responsibility of the district governments to carry out development work. He said there was no proper system before, but now the district governments were put in place to do the job.

When asked that the suspension of developmental funds through MPAs would annoy their own members, he said it was not a big issue.