KARACHI: A Canadian organization “Bridge Communication & Research”, working on a number of USAID projects, has shown its interest to launch a public transport project in Sindh to ease the problems faced by commuters in Karachi as well as inter-city travelers.
Syed Naeemuddin, and his companion Sohail, originally hailing from Karachi but settled in USA, and working for Bridge Communication & Research Organization of Canada, showed their willingness at a meeting of Governing Body of Karachi Public Transport Society (KPTS), recently held with provincial transport secretary Nazar Muhammad Kalhoro in the chair.
They informed the meeting that the project would be funded by USAID and executed by Bridge Communication & Research Organization. “We are putting up our efforts for procurement of buses to run it through KPTS,” he told.
Shamsuddin Abro, Administrator, KPTS, informed the meeting thatCanadian organization had sought
proposals for the project and the KPTS has proposed 3000 buses in the first phase of which 500 for Karachi city and rest for interior of Sindh. The buses proposed for Karachi would have capacity of 70 (40 seats plus 30 standing passengers) while the inter-city buses would have 52 seat capacity to carry seat-by-seat passengers.
Welcoming the Canadian Company’s project, Secretary Transport assured that Sindh government would extend every possible cooperation including provision of depots and other facilities.
Syed Naeemuddin of Canadian organization, who is in Pakistan for monitoring the ongoing projects run through USAID grant, said the proposed transport project would be run by NGO (KPTS) however his organization would keep watch on its execution.
Bridge Communication & Research Organization’s delegation, which is currently in Islamabad, would return and meet Sindh Chief Secretary and other concerned officials of government to finalize the matters before signing the Memorandum of Understanding with KPTS.
The Metro Buses, Coaches and Radio Cabs are run in Karachi by the KPTS providing employment to a largenumber of people. The proposed project would also offer job opportunity to over 3500 people.
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