Asian Development Bank Draft For Implementation of Lahore Mass Transit Project

The Following Draft shows ADB's plan for implementation of Lahore Mass Transit System Project.....

Government Decides to Launch 8000 CNG Buses

LAHORE: The government has decided to launch 8000 CNG busses in ten major cities of the country while a monitoring cell to control prices of essential food items has been formed which will work under the supervision of the Prime Minister.Federal Minister for Information, Sherry Rehman said this while briefing the media after the Federal Cabinet’s meeting held under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani here at Governor House on Wednesday.

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This shows that Government is sincere in solving the major problems faced by general public.

Seminar on CNG Bus Terminal Fuelling Station

LAHORE: Rastgar and Company in collaboration with an international CNG equipment manufacturer, GreenField USA, organised GreenField CNG bus terminal fuelling station seminar Friday.GreenField Manager, Far East T J Li conversed the benefits and need of CNG bus terminal fueling stations in Pakistan.

Maqsood Zulfqar, director, Rastgar emphasized the requirement of CNG bus terminal fuelling stations in Pakistan with 08 to 15psi CNG pressure. He added “we are delighted to review the efforts of City Government, allocating Rs 500 million in financial year 2008-2009 for 500 CNG buses and importance to establish fuelling station to make transport affordable. staff report

Urban Transport Business on Verge of Collapse’

THE business of urban transport is on the verge of collapse due to recent abrupt increase of diesel price along other operational elements. Country General Manger Daewoo Pakistan Inam Sheikh stated that the company had been going through very serious financial crunch, and it had become unnecessary for the company management to further continue urban bus service in Lahore.

He said the company had tried its best to provide AC urban bus service to the general public and paid higher price in term of losses. He further stated that it had been observed that some other companies tried their level best to run AC bus service in Karachi and other cities but sooner or later they had closed their services due to operational losses. He stated that the Daewoo was the only urban AC bus service which was operational.

Snag-Hit Gas Station Project to Delay Arrival of CNG buses

KARACHI, July 4: A lack of progress in the city government’s project to build five gas stations has become a serious impediment in the arrival of CNG buses in the metropolis.

City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal, in his recent budget speech, announced that the city government would bring in 500 CNG buses during the financial year 2008-09 for which Rs500 million had been allocated from the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). However, it would be next to impossible for intending operators to ply the buses in the absence of filling stations as the existing filling stations are not meant for the large buses.

Under its CNG buses project, the government has promised intending operators that it will give subsidy on the mark-up and provide filling stations and depots for the CNG buses to encourage them so that they can bring in more buses to the city. But there has been no progress in the implementation of the project because of the delay in setting up the five filling stations at the defunct Karachi Transport Corporation depots.

The city government had asked for an expression of interest (EOI) from local companies in July last year to build, operate and manage five filling stations for CNG buses, one each in Malir, Surjani, Shah Latif Town, Gulistan-i-Jauhar and Orangi Town. In response, local firms submitted 33 EoIs for the five stations a year ago, but the CDGK has failed to award any contracts so far.Well-placed sources cite several reasons for the delay, including the non-availability of proposed sites and required gas pressure.

They said some proposed sites were in the possession of the Pakistan Rangers and they were unwilling to vacate the premises in the absence of any alternative arrangement. Besides, the compressed natural gas was being provided by the Sui Southern Gas Company, with a pressure of seven pound per square inch (psi), which was insufficient for large buses, the sources said.“The gas pressure required for filling a bus is 35 psi,” said Executive District Officer (Transport) Malik Zaheerul Islam.“It is a big problem and we have brought this matter to the knowledge of the federal government and the SSGC authorities.

We had a series of meetings with the SSGC during the last three to four months and the company finally agreed to lay the required gas lines with a minimum pressure of 30 psi.”He said the planning commission played an important role in the development. The SSGC completed its survey and it would also bear some expenses as the project was financially viable for it, he added.

The EDO agreed that there was a delay in the setting up of CNG filling stations that coincided with the arrival of CNG buses. “In the light of new findings, the CDGK has decided to re-advertise the RFPs (request for proposal) to set up CNG stations for buses as we want to make the transport affordable,” he said.

He said the city government raised the issue of some depots occupied by Rangers with the provincial and the federal governments and they agreed to get the premises vacated from the paramilitary force.

Shahbaz Re-launches Varan Bus Service

RAWALPINDI: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Thursday re-launched Varan Tours bus service in Rawalpindi.He also announced that work on the Elevated Expressway over Murree Road would begin soon, saying the project will ease traffic flow between Mareer Chowk and Faizabad on the city’s busiest artery.

Speaking at the function, where local MNAs and MPAs, senior officials of provincial and city district governments and many others turned up, the chief minister said that it’s unfortunate that commuters wasted their precious time waiting at bus stops.He said that the Punjab government was committed to providing better travelling facility to the people of the province and revolutionary measures were being taken for the purpose.

He said that the government had made a new transport scheme under which a quality public transport service would be guaranteed throughout the province. He said that 25 per cent funding to this ambitious project would come from the provincial kitty. He said that the scheme was aimed at providing commuters with quality transport at affordable charges.Shahbaz said that the PML-N led provincial government was striving to end people’s deprivation through provision of better facilities.

He said that efforts were on to provide justice, education and health facilities on the doorstep of the common man.He accused the last government of wasting resources thoughtlessly by purchasing luxurious items for themselves.Shahbaz said that no nation could survive without justice and the PML-N was raising its voice for restoration of the deposed judges including chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

He said that his party would never accept the incumbent PCO judges. Varan Tours Chairwoman Uzma Gul said on the occasion that she had to close down transport service in the past due to the last government’s political victimisation.She said that the service’s closure cost 1,200 employees their jobs. She said that over 200,000 commuters used to travel in Varan buses daily.

She said that the company would try its best to provide commuters of Islamabad and Rawalpindi with a quality transport service.

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Lahore also needs Shahbaz Sharif attention towards revamping transport system sepecially the present Bus system and Mass Transit too.

US Company Shows Interest in CNG Buses

KARACHI: A three-member delegation of the US Foton Bus Company has shown interest in operating environment-friendly CNG buses in Karachi by submitting a proposal to initially ply two buses on an experimental basis and then extend the service, said Sindh Transport Minister Akhtar Hussain Jadoon.

The delegation comprised company president Perry T D Lockerly, VP Joseph Verghese and their Pakistan representative Modern Motors Director Shahryar Rafiq.The city has 40 approved routes. The delegation inquired about fares and said that the buses will be designed according to the weather of Pakistan. app/ppi