ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has almost shelved its much-publicised plan to ply CNG buses in the federal capital. The authority has now decided to run what it describes will be an effective and speedy bus service by the end of this year.
Lack of a proper transport facility has long remained a headache for commuters, who complain of shabby facilities being provided by a handful of wagon owners exercising complete monopoly over the city.
Promises by the capital administration and CDA have come time and again, with few on-the-ground measures.
CDA officials have yet again promised a safe and reliable transport facility which would particularly focus on students and office-going people. Initially, 20 buses would be plied on four routes each.
The project will be a result public-private partnership and the tender would be awarded to a transport company within a few days.
The routes which have been selected for the initial experiment include Route-1 from Secretariat to Faizabad, Route 2 from Barakahu to Faizabad, Route-3 from Secretariat to I-10 and Route-4 from Faizabad to Blue Area and F-11 sector.
Azam Lodhi, a senior official of CDA Traffic Wing, said as many as 20,000 passengers would travel daily on each route through the proposed transport system.
The official claimed that the new proposed bus service would be on no-profit and no-loss basis, with its basic being the provision of a clean, speedy and friendly transport facility to the residents of federal capital.
CDA would provide the required land for bus stands, terminals and other facilities to the companies.
An official in CDA on the condition of anonymity said that the previous plan of the civic authority to ply CNG buses has been shelved because it was deemed unreliable due to the unavailability of CNG plants with the required amount of gas pressure.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 3rd, 2010.
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