PM orders Islamabad metro bus operationalisation from tomorrow
ISLAMABAD
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that the government is taking urgent measures to achieve economic stability and directed his economic team to take critical measures for the economic uplift of the public, including countering inflation.
The prime minister issued these directions on Thursday while chairing a high-level meeting to discuss the country’s current economic situation wherein he directed his economic team to formulate an economic reform strategy on an emergency basis. The Finance Ministry provided a detailed briefing to the PM who expressed his concerns over worrisome economic indicators.
The meeting was attended by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, including Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ahsan Iqbal, Miftah Ismail, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Zubair Umar, Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, Tariq Mahmood Pasha, Bilal Kiyani and other senior officers.
On Tuesday last, the prime minister called an urgent meeting with leading economists to discuss in detail the current dire economic situation facing the country. The premier called upon economists to aid in important decisions relating to economic and financial measures. The prime minister was briefed on the existing fiscal situation of the country and informed about the deficit and the current account.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to operationalise the Islamabad Metro Bus Service from April 16 (Saturday) and ordered an inquiry into the delay in the launch of the project which has been pending for the last four years.
The premier visited the Peshawar Mor metro bus station on Thursday and reviewed the on-ground progress of the project. Islamabad Metro Bus Service was launched by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in 2017 and was due to become functional in 2018. The prime minister directed to run the metro bus service from Peshawar Mor to Islamabad International Airport to facilitate passengers travelling towards the airport. He also ordered a feasibility study as per the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority rules for two additional routes, namely from Rawat and Bhara Kahu connecting passengers to the airport.
He further directed them to establish a metro bus station at the motorway for better connectivity and to enhance the benefit of the service to the maximum number of people. The premier expressed dismay over the delay in the materialisation of the project, terming it “severe negligence” as Rs16 billion had been spent on the mega project.
