100 GREEN BUSES PROPOSAL FOR QUETTA
The federal government has turned down a proposal from the Balochistan government to provide 100 green buses for Quetta city, aimed at improving public transportation in the provincial capital.
The Balochistan government had submitted a plan requesting the inclusion of 100 green buses in the upcoming federal budget, official sources reported. Despite its approval at the provincial level, the federal authorities rejected the proposal, excluding it from the next financial year’s budget.
Currently, eight green buses operate on a public-private partnership basis along the route from Balochistan University to Baleli, charging passengers a fare of Rs40. Balochistan remains the only province without a mass transit system, forcing residents to rely on second-hand private local buses that charge higher fares than the green buses.
Anwarul Haq Kakar, a former caretaker prime minister from Balochistan, had promised to provide 100 green buses to Quetta, a promise that remains unfulfilled. In light of this, the provincial government submitted the proposal to the federal government, hoping to secure funding for the green buses in the upcoming budget, according to official sources.
Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind stated that the project has been “shelved” but reaffirmed the provincial government’s commitment to revisiting the green buses plan with the federal authorities.
Providing mass transit green buses in Quetta is a priority for Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti. Rind added that if the federal government does not approve the full request for 100 buses, efforts will be made to secure as many buses as possible, potentially through the provincial budget.
Rind explained that the federal government holds the authority to approve or reject the green bus plan in the federal budget. Nonetheless, he remains hopeful that the issue will be resolved through negotiations.