ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Sindh government on Saturday announced the expansion of the intra-city bus service in the southern port city of Karachi and signed an agreement with major South Korean bus service provider, Daewoo, for a thousand new buses to run in the metropolis in the coming months.
“Two hundred buses will run on the roads of Karachi within a month,” Ghulam Abbas Detho, Sindh Transport Secretary, told Arab News on Sunday.
The transport department official added this would be the first phase of the agreement, and the government planned on adding 200 buses to the fleet every month with a thousand buses expected to be on the roads within five months serving 100,000 people every day.
The teeming port city of Karachi with its population of 15 million people, is currently served by a fleet of ten buses under the intra-city bus service. It is Pakistan’s main seaport, as well as its financial and economic hub.
But due to congestion, difficult and often dangerous commuting routes, as well as air and noise pollution, the city was ranked by the Economic Intelligence Unit’s 2017 Global Liveability Report as one of the world’s most unliveable cities.
The Sindh transport authority has said the addition of new buses will spell the end of the city’s massive public transit problems and will be accompanied by the restoration of old bus depots.
After agreement with South Korean company, 1000 buses headed for Karachi
After agreement with South Korean company, 1000 buses headed for Karachi
- 200 buses to be on Karachi roads within a month, says Sindh Transport Secretary
- Karachi is one of the ten largest and most congested cities in the world
International Cricket Council in talks to revive India-Pakistan T20 World Cup clash
- Pakistan face two-point loss and net run-rate hit if they forfeit Feb. 15 match
- ICC seeks dialogue after Pakistan boycott clash citing government directive
NEW DELHI, India: The International Cricket Council is in talks with the Pakistan Cricket Board to resolve the boycott of its T20 World Cup match against India on February 15, AFP learnt Saturday.
Any clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan is one of the most lucrative in cricket, worth millions of dollars in broadcast, sponsor and advertising revenue.
But the fixture was thrown into doubt after Pakistan’s government ordered the team not to play the match in Colombo.
The Pakistan Cricket Board reached out to the ICC after a formal communication from the cricket’s world body, a source close to the developments told AFP.
The ICC was seeking a resolution through dialogue and not confrontation, the source added.
The 20-team tournament has been overshadowed by an acrimonious political build-up after Bangladesh, who refused to play in India citing security concerns, were replaced by Scotland.
As a protest, Pakistan refused to face co-hosts India in their Group A fixture.
Pakistan, who edged out Netherlands in the tournament opener on Saturday, will lose two points if they forfeit the match and also suffer a significant blow to their net run rate.
India skipper Suryakumar Yadav said this week that his team would travel to Colombo for the clash.
Pakistan and India have not played bilateral cricket for more than a decade, and meet only in global or regional tournaments.
