Govt urged to improve public transport

BEPA, RTA survey shows local buses are not environment friendly

QUETTA: The Balochistan Environmental Protection Agency (BEPA) and Regional Transport Authority (RTA) have expressed concern over the condition of public transport, pointing out the dilapidated condition of local buses.

In a joint statement on Saturday, the authorities said burgeoning traffic flow and lack of rains had left Quetta city in a plume of dust in recent years. The increasing number of vehicles, including auto rickshaws, buses and motorbikes, has increased public woes.

A recent survey by BEPA and the RTA found the local buses unfit and not environment friendly. They urged the provincial government to pursue alternative options for public transport.

BEPA Research Officer Muhammad Dawood said the survey had revealed that almost 50 years old buses were still plying on Quetta’s roads.



“Increasing number of vehicles on Quetta’s roads is causing 60 per cent air pollution and unfit buses are one of the major factors,” Dawood said, adding that the findings had been submitted to the provincial government.

Local transporters alleged that the government of Balochistan was showing negligence in introducing news buses in the provincial capital.

Comparing the situation with Punjab, Quetta Local Bus Union President Saeed Ahmed Lehri said the buses were not adequate to providing transport services any longer but there was no other option.

“We can’t purchases new buses. On several occasions we have urged the provincial government and the RTA to announce a special package for local transporters to replace unfit buses, but we didn’t get a positive response,” Lehri said. He said the old buses could not be replaced without government support.

Health experts believe that three out of every 10 people in Quetta have been suffering from diseases due to pollution.