MULTAN-Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is likely to inaugurate feeder bus service here on Thursday (today) so as to bring commuters to metro stations from distant areas and to make the project a success amidst strong criticism over low turnout.
The initiative is being seen as an attempt to bring commuters to metro stations as major part of 18.5km metro route gives deserted look due to very thin turnout of the commuters. The project costs national kitty about Rs30 billion but very low commuter turnout has caused severe criticism on the government.
The new bus service is being launched to transport citizens to Metro stations from different areas of the town as 100 air-conditioned busses will operate on 11 different routes. The Metro sources claimed that about 200,000 citizens would benefit from this new commuting service daily.
The inauguration ceremony will take place at Circuit House and all arrangements have been finalised by the district administration. The busses will start operating on city roads after the inauguration of the service.
The busses will carry citizens to metro stations from distant parts of the city and government officials claim that this initiative will not only offer cheaper yet high quality commuting services to the masses but also accomplish the metro project in true sense. Metro sources revealed that the routes had been fixed after a thorough survey to analyse traveling trends of the citizens. Special franchises will be set up in city to sell bus cards to the citizens as the commuters will be issued special cards. Similarly, special stands and chairs have been fixed for special persons in these busses. Earlier, 243 drivers and other staff completed their training.
The feeder busses will operate among Dera Adda and Chowk Kumharanwala, Fish Market to Sooraj Miani via Ghanta Ghar, Ghanta Ghar to Fertiliser Factory Chowk, Vehari Chowk to Nag Shah, Canal Bridge to Piran Ghaib, Khooni Burj to Vehari Chowk via Chungi No 14, Dunyapur bypass to People’s Colony, Mohalla Wazeerabad to Southern Bypass via BCG Chowk, Railway Station to Chungi No-9 via LMQ Road, Faiz-e-Aam Chowk to Ghanta Ghar and BCG Chowk to Vehari Road up to Railway Station.
GOVT WARNED OF PROTESTS: The Tehrik Fidayan-e-Khatm-e-Nubuwwat (TFKN) warned of mass protests against the government if it dares amend the blasphemy law.
The threat was hurled by the president of the TFKN Dr Khubaib Ahmad Jamal while addressing the participants of a dialogue. He said that no bargaining on Khatm-e-Nubuwwat was acceptable to any Muslim. He asked the government to unveil the faces of the culprits behind dirty conspiracy of amending the law. “It is necessary to make the nation aware of these conspirators,” he added. He said that the role of those parliamentarians was laudable who expressed their love with the Holy Prophet (PBUH) while setting aside their political affiliation. He said that although the amendment was withdrawn, its impact was still being felt.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Farooq Langah, Qari Abbas Arshad, Jawad Ameen Qureshi, Mosab Islam and Yahya Bhatti said that Khatm-e-Nubuwwat is integral part of faith of every Muslim while the Qadianis hatch conspiracies against it. They said that the miscreants were declared Non-Muslims 40 years ago by the parliament, who acted on the agenda of their foreign masters to harm the country today. They said that the Muslims would lay down their lives but would not make any compromise on Khatm-e-Nubuwwat.