Import of 1,500 CNG buses: CDGK cancels agreements with two foreign firms

The city district government Karachi (CDGK) has cancelled agreements with a Dutch and Swiss firms that were meant for bringing 1500 CNG buses to the metropolis.
Sources in the CDGK transport department told Business Recorder on Tuesday that Keehill (Swedish company) and Holland Bus Company were bound, as per the agreement, to import the CNG buses with their spare parts from the Holland and Switzerland.
"But it was revealed that the companies imported spare parts from an Indian company, Ashok Lee-Land, and even the original parts of the buses were replaced with Indian one's," they said.
"15 out of the total 1500 buses have been imported and these buses are awaiting custom clearance at Karachi port for the last four month", they added. "When the city government asked these companies concerned to explain the situation, they failed to come up with satisfactory answer and insisted that instead of Indian spare parts the buses were not cleared due to lack of some import documents," the sources added.
As the companies denied the import of spare parts from an Indian company, they were served with notices get clear the buses from Custom, they said and added when the companies in question failed to reposed the notices served on them, the CDGK was compelled to scrap the contract with the companies.