Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The federal government is bearing Rs 2 billion subsidy on Metro Bus Services alone, which is actually owned by Punjab Metro Bus Authority (PMBA) because of not signing the agreement between Capital Development Authority (CDA) and PMBA yet. The CDA has written a letter to PMBA for subsidy sharing but after lapse of about one month, PMBA kept silence on the issue. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has written a letter to the prime minister in which he asked that how many share of subsidy would be given by the federal government to PBMA. In the first stage, when the project was under construction it was decided that the provincial government and federal government will spend 50 percent each on Metro Bus project. The project was completed with the cost of Rs 45 billion in which Punjab government and federal government paid each of their shares of 50 percent. The federal government has issued Rs 375 million to CDA for Metro Bus project but due to not signing the agreement, the CDA could not hand over it to PMBA. According to a source, the Punjab government is claiming that around 0.13 million commuters travelling on Metro Bus on daily basis and PMBA is receiving Rs 2.5 million revenue per day. The source told Daily Times that Punjab government proposed that the subsidy should be paid for Metro Bus Service on the bases of length of track in twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The PM had inaugurated the Metro Bus project on June 4, 2015 and two months are left for completion of one year but the agreement between CDA and PMBA could not be finalised yet on subsidy and the federal government will again bear the subsidy on Metro Bus service. The source further said that the Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has sent recommendations to prime minister in this regard and said that the Punjab government will bear only 30 percent on Metro Bus service because the metro track laid in Rawalpindi is only 8.6 kilometres while in the federal capital the length of track is 14 kilometres and the federal capital should bear Rs 70 percent of subsidy.