CM banks on public transport to mitigate pollution
PHOTO: FILE
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif said while inaugurating the Shahdara Metro Bus Station remodeling project that environmental pollution can be mitigated with the use of public transport.
The CM visited the counter being established for the ladies and directed the staff to provide maximum service to the passengers.
She was given a briefing about the remodelling of the station. She boarded the metro bus and travelled up to the Gaddafi Stadium.
Transport and Mass Transit Authority Secretary Ahmed Javed Qazi informed the CM that more than 176,000 passengers on the metro bus daily, including 25,000 from the Shahdara station.
The remodelling has been undertaken keeping in view the deplorable condition of the station and difficulties of passengers. A ticket counter for women has been established, canopies installed at the escalators and corridors for the pedestrians.
CM Maryam Nawaz directed the authorities to bring improvements in the public transport, including the metro bus service. She said modern public transport system is imperative to coping with climate change and environmental pollution hazards.
She said the government would soon introduce electric buses in Lahore.
Addressing the closing ceremony of the first Chief Minister Pink Games, the CM said she had reached the venue on metro bus to meet the participants.
“We are also launching free motorbikes scheme for the daughters. I have been told by the daughters that they are not permitted to ride a bike by their parents. I request the parents to repose trust in their daughters and grant them permission,” she added.
She announced, “We are going to launch Punjab League after the Pink Games in which one million players will participate.”
Meanwhile, the chief minister said during a meeting with the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, Park Kijun, “We want to benefit from Korean technology for industrial development.”
“We will welcome Korean partnership in electronics, automobiles and information technology,” she added.
The chief minister highlighted, ”Punjab also has a huge investment potential in agriculture and mining. We intend to learn from Korean expertise in agriculture to increase our per acre crop yield.”
She added, ”Bilateral trade volume with Korea should also increase further, as we have great export opportunities in woven cotton and cotton yarn textile.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 6th, 2024.