Re: Metro Bus Service: Punjab pays Rs5m per day as subsidy
Fair enough.
About bold part of your comments, what do you mean had priorities and PTI govt was able to save money? Does that mean that tackled all other issues of the province like health, education and IDPs before turning to this Jungla bus project?
What kind of risible rhetoric is that? Do you know how budgeting words? All governments by default have to allocate funds to infrastructure, regardless of the fact whether different departments have 'tackled' all their problems or not, the infrastructure department has to make use of the funds available to them. KPK government is not going for astronomically expensive infrastructure projects at the expense of neglecting education and health, if anything, they'll be criticized far more ruthlessly than Shahbaz Sharif if they ever do that. Besides, if comparison to all other provinces, KPK allocated the highest percentage of budget to education in their last budget.
Until and unless you actually study the overall cost of all three projects, I think it is completely futile to have any discussion on that. But here it is still, compare the estimated cost of Rs42 billion Pindi Metro project, actual cost of Rs30 billion Lahore Metro with estimated Rs.14 billion for Peshawar Mass transit bus lane, covering the same distance and as many stops as Lahore Metro, and then tell me which of these examples suggest that money saving was a priority? Would you appreciate the cot difference? Considering Peshawar Bus project for now is literally half the cost of Lahore Metro should be enough to ward off the opportunistic cynics and critics who just want to lump the both projects together and criticise them for sake of criticism. Mind you, KPK Gov had the option of going for rapid train service against Rs25 billion (for significantly higher single route fare) with which would've made a better Shahabaz Sharif style PR campaign.
I do believe in responsible budgeting, clever and prioritised spending, cost saving and reliable projects, I certainly don't blindly agree with tunnel mentality saying that no money on transport, roads, culture and infrastructure should be spent until we have tackled all other issues in education and health.
As if IDPs, it is KPK government and the army that's largely carrying all their burden and doing best of their abilities. IDPs fall under Federal Domain, you tell me how much money Nawaz Sharif's government has released for IDPs? Did they inform the provincial gov to prepare for IDPs? Did they ask KPK to reserve budget for IDPs? The KPK CM finds out about operation on TV? Since the loathsome leader of PPP party who sheds crocodile tears on IDPs, tell me how much fund and strategic support Sindh government has offered to the IDPs. These bigoted provincial governments even straight up refused to allow entry to IDPs - who aren't even refugees - in their provinces, people who actually supported such awful discrimination should be the last people on earth pretending to show any care for IDPs. Where were they oh this is against the constitution cries then?
