With the opening of Islamabad Metro drawing near, new controversies seem to surround Mian sahab’s Metro bus everyday.
When 3 years back Chotay Mian sahab announced the building of Metro bus in Lahore, many people had high hopes attached to this. Finally it seemed even the poor could travel with dignity.
However as always our political leadership barely leaves out any chances to disappoint the masses. From day 1 the Metro project has been mired in controversy. From corruption to nepotism, Metro bus has it all. Here are some of the facts related to the project.
Fact 1: A country where over half the children of school going age are out of schools, a country where over half the population does not have access to clean drinking water, should have much bigger priorities than building a jangla bus from which not even one hundredth of the country’s population is going to benefit.
Fact 2: A government’s performance is not measured by the roads and streets it builds. Ultimately it’s the prosperity of the people which matters. The strength of the recent Dharnas should be an eye opener for Mian sahab
Fact 3: In Istanbul the metro bus cost $10 million/km to build. Why than in Pakistan Mian sahab, where the labor costs are lower did the Islamabad-Rawalpindi metro bus cost $20 million per kilometer to build?
Fact 4: Throughout the world a successfully designed public transport program aims for at least 20 per cent ridership, whilst the actual daily ridership for the Lahore Metrobus is 180,000 trips/day or 3.3 per cent of the overall population of Lahore. The impact of this metro bus is therefore going to be insufficient in reducing congestion and it would end up being an undersized transport system
Fact 5: Instead of handing over the project to a professional who could have handled the project with efficiency, keeping the costs to a bare minimum, why was the project of Islamabad Rawalpindi handed over to a political appointee, Mr. Hanif Abbasi of ephedrine fame?
Mian sahab, two years ago the nation gave you a clear mandate to deliver on their behalf and well two years on, time it seems is a luxury you no longer have. Let’s just hope that you can achieve something material otherwise the fate of PPP is infront of you.
