Punjab Transport Minister Bilal Akbar on Saturday said the government had planned to introduce 3,000 buses in the province under a five-year plan – a move that will greatly help the low-income groups amid skyrocketing cost of living and complete absence of mass transit systems barring the incomplete ones in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan.
Addressing a press conference along with Information Minister Azma Bokhari, Bilal said electric buses – which are a part of the overall plan – would start running in Lahore by December. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has already approved an initial project to introduce public transport system across Punjab, under which 657 environment-friendly buses will start running on the roads of Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Bahawalpur and other cities – thus fulfilling one of promises she had made in her first speech.
It is not just better transport service, as the modern buses are going to also help tackle the pollution problem and climate change challenge. High pollution levels around the year, which develops the hazardous smog phenomenon in Punjab from October till January, are causing health hazard and overburdening the existing vulnerable healthcare system. Speaking on the occasion, Azma said the province witnessed a decline in debt within just 100 days of Maryam assuming the charge, as the total amount had reduced by Rs23 billion – from Rs1,708bn to Rs1,685bn. The minister said the initiatives launched by Maryam were not just limited to papers, as the same had been witnessing realisation.
In this connection, she mentioned the details of different projects, including the field hospitals, where one million people had so far received treatment.