Shanghai Magnetic Levitation Train

I saw the video of the Shanghai Magnetic Lavitation Train and it was mindblowing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LD_R2M6c8A&feature=related

Way to go China

Bus Service for Women Launched in Peshawar

PESHAWAR, Dec 16: Peshawar has become the first city in the country to have an exclusive CNG bus service for women commuters.“It is not segregation but a progressive step taken by the provincial government,” said provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, who was the chief guest at the launching ceremony of the bus service here on Tuesday.

The bus service is a joint venture of the provincial social welfare and women development, transport department and the city district government.Mr Hussain said that in the current security scenario Peshawar was surrounded by fear but the people here should fight back all fears and make the city lively.

He said militants and terrorists should not discourage us from living a normal life and advised people to show unity in the face of threats.Sitara Imran, social welfare and women development minister, said the district and provincial governments should try to make this initiative a success.Initially two CNG buses would run from the Haji Camp bus stop to Hayatabad Township.

The fare is the same as fixed by the government for other public transport vehicles, which is Rs6 per stop, said Mohammad Naeem, owner of the City Transport Service which has provided the busses.The number of buses would be increased to eight in six months after success of the service. “We have hired educated women conductors who will be serving the women commuters,” he said.

A young woman bus conductor, present at the ceremony, said she was educated up to intermediate level and would try to do her duty in a better way.District Nazim Ghulam Ali said the district government was trying to provide all facilities to its citizens and the CNG bus service would be a good facility for women commuters.

The participants were taken on a bus ride after the inauguration. One of the women participants said it was a comfortable ride.

Future Of LRMTS is Uncertain

Punjab government sources pointed out in a dejected tone that the Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif has put the project of Lahore Rapid Mass Transit System (LRMTS) on the backburner despite a heavy spending of Rs 1.0 billion on its designing by the previous government of Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi.

Instead of asking for speed up the development work, according to the sources, the Punjab Chief Minister has directed an evaluation of the project before proceeding any further on the project. Fears are getting high with every passing day that the spending of Rs 1 billion from the public exchequer would go unnoticed if such unnecessary delays are attributed to the fate of the project.

Interestingly, the Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had himself initiated the idea of LRMTS back in 1996-99. However, further development took place the regime of Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi. Now when the policy makers are pulling a long over shelving of the LRMTS, the Chief Minister Punjab has initiated another Rs 50 billion idea of Lahore-Rawalpindi Elevated Express Highway while desiring from the infrastructure planners to put all their energies to make it a success story.

It may be noted that the Punjab government is already executing Rs 100 billion Ring Road project, a major spending of which is again on the provincial capital.Therefore, a total spending of about Rs 150 billion on developing infrastructure of Lahore and areas adjacent to it has resulted into a deep sense of deprivation among under developed regions of the province. The planning developers of the province are of the view that one major reason behind this deprivation is the highly selfish approach of the public representatives from those regions.

It is worth noting here that the road development fund allocated for the whole Punjab for 2008-09 is Rs 18 billion, out of which Rs 13 billion is to be spent on maintenance and repairing of existing roads, Rs 2 billion for new roads and Rs 3 billion to appease the MNAs and MPAs.