MPAs concerned over unsafe public transport

Karachi
The provincial assembly unanimously passed a resolution on Tuesday asking the transport department to take every possible step to ensure the safety of passengers of public transport vehicles.
The resolution was a private one moved by Muttahida Qaumi Movement MPA Syed Khalid Ahmed.
Speaking on the resolution, lawmakers expressed their concerns over the alarming increase in road accidents involving public transport vehicles in the province.
They were of the view that public transport vehicles were operating without emergency exits and also lacked fire extinguishers and other such equipment to tackle emergency situations.
It was also pointed out that there was an acute shortage of public transport vehicles in the province and the ones currently being used were in a dilapidated condition.
They said the public travelled in these vehicles without any insurance and their families were not compensated in case of a mishap.
The MPAs said the transport department needed to regulate the public transport sector on a war-footing basis.
Speaking on the resolution, transport minister Mumtaz Hussain Jakhrani said his department had continuously directed owners of public transport vehicles through newspapers to install emergency exit gates and also arrange other equipment to deal with emergencies including medical first-aid by February 12.
He added that as the deadline had passed, public transport vehicles operating without emergency exit gates and first-aid equipment would be taken off the roads.
The minister said he would personally visit the Super Highway and inspect the vehicles.
“It is the need of the hour that the authorities for issuing route permits, fitness certificates, and driving licences to the operators of public transport vehicles are merged with the transport department as per the global norm,” he suggested.
The minister said for checking the fitness of public transport vehicles, his department would soon engage the services of a private party.

Sukkur development authority
The provincial assembly unanimously passed another resolution asking the government to set up a development authority for Sukkur so that the uplift of the third largest city of the province could be properly planned. The private resolution was moved by MQM MPA Naheed Begum.
Speaking on the resolution, information and local government minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said the provincial government had set up development authorities for different cities and Sukkur would also have its separate one. He added that every major city should also have its own master plan. “The government is working on setting up new colleges and water schemes in Sukkur.”
He said the major problem in this connection was the overstaffed municipal agencies. For example, he added, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board should ideally have 3,000 employees but it was functioning with 15,000 workers. “These employees are eating up a major chunk of the funds allocated for the municipal agencies,” he noted.

Medical colleges
The assembly unanimously passed a resolution calling upon the government to conduct pre-admission entry tests for all medical colleges in the province through well-reputed agencies including the National Testing Service and the Institute of Business Administration.
The resolution was moved by MQM lawmaker Dr Zafar Ahmed Kamali.
Senior education minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro said the conducting of pre-admission entry tests for degree-awarding educational institutes would help in discouraging the trend of using unfair during examinations.

Shikarpur protesters
The House was informed that a committee formed by the chief minister in connection with the Shikarpur imambargah blast had failed to convince the protesters of the Shuhuda committee to call off their long march to Karachi.
Khuhro said the talks between members of the government and Shuhuda committees were held in Bhit Shah on Monday night.
The government committee comprising ministers Dr Sikandar Mandhro, Jam Khan Shoro, Ali Nawaz Khan Mahar and Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar told the Shuhuda committee that the latter’s all 13 demands would be met.
These demanded included compensating the heirs of the victims, a crackdown on criminals, provision weapons and their licences to the residents, jobs for the affected families and the construction of boundary walls around the Shikarpur imambargah.
However, Khuhro added, the representatives of the Shuhuda committee insisted on going ahead with their march.
Towards the end of the assembly’s proceedings, Pakistan Muslim League-Functional MPA Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh informed the House that the Sindh Bank had bounced the compensation cheques of Rs2 million each distributed by the government among the heirs of the Shikarpur blast victims.
Finance minister Syed Murad Ali Shah denied that gthe overnment had anything to do with the development.
The assembly also unanimously passed into law a private bill envisaging the establishment of the Sindh Institute of Management and Technology in Karachi. The bill was moved by Pakistan People’s Party MPA Tariq Masood Arain.
Another private bill, the Sindh Universities Laws (Amendment) Bill 2014, moved by MQM MPA Syed Khalid, was referred by the chair for further review to the standing committee concerned.