Author: Asia Pulse Data Source
Posted On: Monday, October 20, 2008
Source/Reference: news.google.com
Total Views :8793 |
| CDGK sets up150 bus stops, 500 more locations identified\\r\\n\\r\\nDuring the last six months over 150 bus stops have been made at different points in the city and the work 50 more bus stops would be started soon, while some 500 locations were identified. DDO Transportation and Communication Department Saeed akhter Rizvi said this while talking to PPI at his office on Thursday. We keep surveying new roads to identify the points for making bus stops but sometimes due to the construction of new roads and projects, we have to change the identified points, he said. We have inked an agreement for setting up 300 bus stops with a local company on Built, Operate, Transfer (BOT) basis, he said. He said the company has already set up 150 bus stops while it is continuing to work on the rest of bus stops in different localities in the city.\\r\\nHe said that those bus stops has been set up on M.A. Jinnah Road, University Road, Sharae Pakistan, Sher Shah Soori Road, Corridor I and Corridor II. He said that 40 bus stops have been made on the Corridor-I, while 30 bus stops on Corridor-II. He said that 18 bus stops have been made on University Road, 5 on Sharae Pakistan and 8 on Sher Shah Soori Road. He said that another company is also involved in setting up bus stops on the BOT. It has made a model bus stop at Shaheed-e-Millat Road extension. He said once the model is approved, the company will initially make 50 bus stops of the same type in different localities.\\r\\nHe said that those bus stops would be set up in the Korangi Industrial area, Gulistan-e-Johar, Ziauddin Road, Rasheed Turabi Road and abul Hasan asphahani Road. He said that we wont be making bus stops in the areas governed by the other agencies, as we are not sure whether these agencies would give tax exemption to the companies or not.\\r\\nHe said that special care of material has been taken in the making bus stops so as to ensure their durability. He said that these bus stops are being made in a way that passengers could be prevented from sun and rain while clock and temperature display has also been installed at the bus stops.\\r\\nHe said that signboards outside many bus stops have been installed and the process is continuing. He said that the CDGK is in coordination with Traffic Police to make the drivers abide by the rule to stop vehicles at the bus stops.\\r\\nSaeed akhter Rizvi said these bus stops are a-type bus stops and yet we dont have any bathroom there, because in our society there is no concept of bathroom usage at bus stops. He said that, especially, women avoid using bathroom at bus stops. He said that the petrol pumps should have the facility of bathrooms rather than bus stops, as it happens in other countries.\\r\\nHowever, inside sources told PPI that in 2003 CDGK had made an agreement with a company to set up 163 C-type bus stops but the company only made 35 bus stops in five years, having facilities of bathrooms and tuck shops.\\r\\nThe CDGK demolished 13 of these bus stops for the construction of roads and other projects, while remaining 20 still exist in the city. There is a conflict between CDGK and the said company for the construction of these bus stops, sources added. We appreciate the efforts of City District Government Karachi that they are making bus stops, as in past no government had taken efforts to set up bus stops, said Syed Irshad Bukhari, President of Karachi Transport Ittehad.\\r\\nThere were countable bus stops in the city around thirty to forty years back at Empress Market, Regal Chowk and other places; however, no significant step had been taken later for making bus stops, he claimed. It is the responsibility of Municipal Department to set up bus stops and now CDGK has taken this task which is appreciable, he said. It is primarily the duty of traffic police to make drivers abide by the rule of stopping buses at the bus stops only, but the traffic police are involved in bribery and even their bosses take bribes, he alleged. We also want to abide by the rules as our children |
