Court seeks written reply from transport dept over 15,000 buses

Sindh governor says phase-II of Green Line's civil works to complete by March 2021

The Sindh High Court sought on Thursday a written reply from the transport department on a plea seeking the introduction of 15,000 new buses in Karachi amid a shortage of public transport and absence of mass transit facilities in the city.

Sindh Governor Imran Ismail's reply on the plea was submitted to the court at the hearing.

The plea stated that no one had been addressing the problem of the lack of public transport in Karachi and that in the absence of "adequate" public transport facilities, qingqis were used as an alternative. It also claimed that "transport mafia" had been setting and collecting fares of its own will. The plea held the Sindh government responsible for the dire state of public transport in Karachi.

In his reply, the governor stated that a deadline for the completion of Green Line bus rapid transit project had been set and infrastructure for the project was ready. He said phase-II of the project's civil works was expected to reach completion by March 2021. The governor also assured in the reply that the federal government would extend complete support to the Sindh government to run Green Line buses and that the project, worth around Rs11 billion, would be handed over to the provincial government.

Besides, the focal person of the transport department informed the court that works on Red Line and Orange Line BRT projects was underway.

He, too, assured that the Green Line project would complete soon.

At this, the court remarked that these details should be submitted in writing and adjourned the hearing.

'Compensation due'

Separately, the court summoned the Employees' Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) secretary in a plea seeking the payments of compensation to the victims of the Baldia factory fire and their families.

According to the petition, those who survived the tragedy must be paid compensation, in line with the International Labour Organisation convention.

The Sindh government has paid just Rs300,000 in compensation thus far, even when Sindh Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah had announced that the victims would be issued monetary compensation. It contends that victims should be paid the compensation as a lump sum. The plea further states that the German company for which Ali Enterprises- the factory where the deadly fire had erupted- had issued Rs600 million to be paid as compensation.

The petitioner's lawyer, Advocate Usman Farooq, informed the court that Rs650 million was yet to be paid to the victims and their families, even after the compensation was announced by Sindh Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah on May 1, 2018.

He further claimed that the affected persons were no longer receiving pensions promised to them.

At this, the court summoned the EOBI secretary at the next hearing on February 21, seeking an explanation on the matter.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 22^nd, 2021.