Request: Centre urged to exempt public transport from CNG holiday

Work on first phase of Bus Rapid Transit project to begin in February.

LAHORE:


Lahore Transport Company chairman Khwaja Ahmed Hassaan on Tuesday urged the federal government to exempt public transport in the province from compressed natural gas holidays.


Hassaan was speaking at a meeting of the board of directors of the LTC at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.

He said the federal government should assist the province in provision of uninterrupted supply of CNG to public transport. In this regard, he said, the provincial government had already filed a petition in the Supreme Court.

He said the LTC planned to upgrade some CNG filling stations to equip them with high pressure technology.


Hassaan said work on construction of the first phase of Bus Rapid Transit project from General Hospital to the Canal Road intersection will begin towards end of February.

Several Turkish companies have offered assistance in the completion of the BRT project during the chief minister’s recent visit to the country.

He said Turkish companies had also shown interest in funding other development projects in the province. He said several meetings were held in this regard between Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and the Turkish president, prime minister and the mayor of Istanbul.

Hassaan said about 575 more buses will soon be run in the city, 100 of these will be on the roads by end February.  He said these buses will be inducted after a transparent technical examination.

LTC vice chairman Mehar Ishtiaq, directors Yawar Irfan, Ashan Chughtai, Javed Masood and Transport Secretary Capt (retd) Muhammad Yousaf were present.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 18th, 2012.
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