Daily Times

KARACHI: Failing to make payment for acquiring 41 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation has handed over the entire fleet free of cost to blue-eyed persons, Daily Times has learnt.

The total worth of buses is over Rs 180 million and they were handed over for two-year contract. Out of which 36 buses were gifted to a near and dear one of a Sindh minister and five busses were given to Malir Cantonment Authority.

This project was launched to facilitate commuters the commuter and Malir Cantt Authority had directed former Karachi commissioner Shoib Ahmed Siddiqui to provide some buses
to them.

The private investor of 36 CNG buses was supposed to run these busses on new route from Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Tower to Quaidabad through Shahrahe-Faisal. The agreement with the privet transport company was ending in August.

Sindh Chief Minister Qiam Ali Shah formed a three-member committee to rationalise the fare structure of the buses. The Sindh chief secretary headed the committee with commissioner and KMC administrator as members.

The Green Bus (CNG) service was initiated in 2005 by the then mayor Niamatullah Khan. The service operated till 2007 after which it was suspended for some time. In 2009, Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad resumed the service but it was terminated once again on April 23, 2013. At the time, the service used to operate on three major routes from Surjani Town to Safoora Goth, Surjani Town to Korangi, and Orangi Town to Malir.

KMC’s CBA Union President Zulfiqar Ali Shah said, “The transport mafia, extortion mafia and corrupt officials within KMC were primarily responsible
for discontinuation of
the service.”

Shah said, “The transport mafia does not want the service to operate as it provides a cheaper alternative, which
means they cannot charge higher fares.”

According to Shah, KMC officials merely want to run a media campaign to show they sincere wish to restart the service, so they can fill their pockets with the funds.

“They have no money to pay the employees’ salaries, how can they run the service with without money,” he concluded.