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Wednesday, June 24, 2009

400 CNG buses in Sindh soon’


Sindh Minister for Transport Akhtar Jadoon told the Sindh Assembly members on Tuesday that around 400 CNG buses would be running in the province soon.

Replying to a supplementary query during the question hour, he said that the government was busy in providing high-pressure filling stations for this purpose and land has been provided for at least five filling stations in the city.

Responding to another question, the minister said that the provincial government has recommended a scheme to the federal government for shifting bus stations out of the city. According to him, the provincial government has also prepared an alternate plan under which the bus stations would be shifted to defunct KTC depots situated in different parts of Karachi.

He said that previously these depots were handed over to the City District Government Karachi but now the Sindh government was taking them back. At present, he added, these depots are in use of nazims, the police and Rangers. They have been issued notices to vacate these depots, he said. According to him, the property is worth billions of rupees.

He admitted that bus terminals set up for the buses arriving here from Baluchistan have no basic facilities although Rs 300 are charged for each bus.

Earlier, responding to questions regarding his department, Sindh Minister for Excise and Taxation Mukesh Kumar Chawla said that the luxury tax imposed on over 1500CC imported and local cars would be recovered from July this year. It would be a one time tax, he added. To another query he said that his department has set up seven check posts on two border points for checking narcotics smuggling.