Slow mass transit

The chief characteristic of the biggest metropolis of Pakistan is that its population is increasing at a rapid pace but public services in the city go on shrinking. Karachi’s population has increased to 16.6 million in 2016 from 9.8 million in 1998. These are national census figures. This is evident from gutter overflows in most parts of the city and roads that are full of potholes, big craters and ditches. This also shows up in the fast-disappearing public buses from the city roads. Once again the Sindh government has announced a few a days ago that 200 new buses will be run on 14 different routes of the city. These buses will start running in the next few months. The provincial government has signed an agreement with a private transport company under which 1,000 new air-conditioned buses will ply the city roads.

One can only take the government’s promise with a pinch of salt considering numerous such unmet promises made in the recent past. The government had made a similar announcement more than six months ago. Also, there is the Karachi Greenline rapid mass transit project. The project estimated to cost more than Rs26 billion was launched in 2016 and it was to be completed in early 2018. It remains abandoned. Many roads were dug up to make way for the public transport project. They remain in that way adding to the problems of commuters. The long-persisting state of affairs with regard to the condition of roads and the ever-shrinking number of buses has made it very difficult for the people to believe the government’s promises.

Now only few rickety buses are there on the road. They are mostly overcrowded. The few seats in these buses are very uncomfortable. Yet we hear somewhere a regional transport authority exists. People take solace in the saying, “When there are takers for husk who is going to sell wheat? (Jiska bhoosa bikta ho woh kanak kyon bechay?)”

Published in The Express Tribune, September 21^st, 2019.

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