Contrary to repeated pledge to provide necessary facilities to 25,000 students studying in both evening and morning shifts, the University of Karachi has regrettably failed to induct 10 new point buses in its existing fleet, reportedly due to its financial constraints.
University had decided to replace outdated points, which have developed mechanical faults with new ones, to resolve miseries of students but it has failed to implement the plan due to growing long-running constraints and limited resources. Students arriving at the university from far-off areas moaned and groaned at shortage of points that provide them easy transportation means at their respective departments, especially in the simmering summer, within the university, that is spread on more than 1200 acres.
This shortage has led to dangerous overcrowding results in students being dead or seriously injured after falling off the buses. Many students have lost their limbs during travelling in these overloaded point buses. The university management has already banned entry of private vehicles in the premises due to security reasons, which have added to the woes of students and so with the inter-varsity transport buses, which itself are overloaded, putting student's life at risk.
There is a need of drivers and conductors to provide evening students with transport facility but the university can not hire staff to run shuttle or pick and drop facilities for the evening students. There are only 28 point busses for more than 25,000 students of the varsity out of which only 4 point-busses are for 5,000 students of evening program, which is insufficient to cater the needs of the students.
At least 2700 non-teaching employees and 7,000 teaching staff is working in the university and most of them rely on transport facility provided by the varsity, which have caused further problems. The transport department had submitted recommendations to the directorate of evening program for enhancing number of point busses, but all in veil. The department is running 5-shettle busses within in the premises of university but these are not sufficient for 5,000 students of evening program.
The department is running shuttle service according to schedule provided by the administration of the university but despite passing years, the administration is unable to evolve the schedule of evening program. Convenor Transport Committee KU Dr Zulqarnain told Business Recorder that varsity has inducted two points in its fleet, one is donated by Karachi Electric Supply Company and another by social welfare organisation. We are operating twenty buses with staff of 32 men and trying to run transport system on maximum capacity.
He was of the view that soaring fuel prices is another difficulty to run transport system as students pay only Rs 5 for getting the facility. Chairman transport committee transport department needed Rs 0.8 million every month for overhauling and maintenance of the buses. He recommended that University should settle endowment with maximum money to run the transport affairs in befitting manner.
He urged students to corporate with transport department by allowing them to increase fares in order to minimise loses. Sources said that that former Vice Chancellor Dr Pirzada Qasim had chalked out a master plan to make developments in university by keeping in view the needs of varsity till 2050. According to that plan KU will add 260 busses in its fleet till 2050 but it has been relegated to dustbin.
Comments
Comments are closed.