KARACHI: The provincial government considers a plan to set up an intercity bus service, as one scheme is in the making to introduce 25 hybrid- diesel vehicles, shortly, a minister told the Sindh Assembly on Friday.

Replying to queries during an hour session in Sindh Transport Department, Owais Qadir Shah, who is the concerned minister, said that a summary has been sent to the Chief Minister for funds release.

PTI’s Arsalan Taj called the PPP government ‘incompetent’ to ensure public transport availability for the public, saying that not a single penny from the budgetary allocations went to commuting facilities in the province.

Similarly, another PTI legislator, Saeed Afridi asked the minister that how long the proposed intercity bus service will take to establish. Owais Qadir said that the proposed scheme will be completed soon, adding that some 250 buses will start functioning for Karachi, this year.

GDA’s Nusrat Sehar Abbasi also censured the PPP for failing to provide public transport facilities in its over 12 year long rule.

Saeed Afridi remarked that the entire city stands abandoned, which depends only on 11C - a decades old public transport service with rundown buses.

In this regards, the minister said that there are ample transport development schemes but failed to take off because of the funds unavailability.

The back to back hard questions by the opposition left the minister tempered, who then started criticising the questioners of the other side.

However, Speaker, Aga Siraj Khan Durrani stopped Owais Qadir from being personal to the opposition lawmakers.

PPP’s Qasim Soomro told the house while replying to PTI’s Adeel Shahzad that Qatar Hospital has 58 doctors to provide medical care to the patients.

He assured the house that the Sindh Health Department will also hire aspirants from the respective areas whenever it begins appointments.

Over 9000 schools will be established in the province of which 101 academic centres will be in Ghotki, the Sindh Education Minister told the legislature.

The house also approved an adjournment motion of PPP’s lady legislator, Marvi Rashdi regarding admission tests in medical colleges. The proceedings then were put off until Monday afternoon.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021