President Asif Ali Zardari has directed the government to facilitate Chinese companies interested in investing on CNG busses project to resolve the public transport problems in major cities. He was chairing a meeting at Bilawal House here on Friday, to ease the public transport situation in the country by expanding environmental friendly Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) busses.
The president directed the authorities to conclude deal by March 31, 2011, with Chinese companies interested in operating CNG busses. Earlier, the President was given a presentation by representatives of City District Government Karachi (CDGK) regarding a plan to import 250 CNG busses. For this purpose they had selected six operators and wanted financing of a banking consortium to import and operate the project on subsidies basis.
It was said that public transport problems were mounting and it is feared that the masses may start stoning cars in protest. The President brushed aside this threat with a remark that "I have the biggest political party in Pakistan" and would not cowed down.
He queried why the proposal from China was not being entertained? An official from the Prime Minister Secretariat said that the Chinese were waiting for five months for a response. The president directed that the interested Chinese companies should be allowed to run and operate CNG busses in the cities and the city government should provide road track, parking facility and pressurised filling stations to them.
The bankers present in the meeting informed the President that 25 CNG busses had been imported and given to designated operators by CDGK. These busses are standing and rotting with losses being absorbed by the local government.