New Metro buses lined up before induction in fleet. PHOTO: FILE
JARANWALA:
The Punjab government is preparing to launch 27 metro buses and two trams on a 20-kilometre Orange Line route from Faisal Town on Jaranwala Road to Tahirpur, Jhang Road.
Chief Minister Mariam Nawaz is expected to perform the ground-breaking of the project in the coming days.
Member Punjab Mass Transit Authority and former chief secretary Capt (retd) Zahid Saeed presided over a meeting along with Commissioner Faisalabad Raja Jahangir Anwar.
The meeting was informed that the PC-1 of the mega project has been approved and 22 stations will be built on the Orange Line metro bus route and two depots and 6 U-turns are included.
The Member Mass Transit Authority and the Commissioner Faisalabad directed WASA, FESCO, Sui Gas, PHA, Municipal Corporation, and Traffic Police to immediately take steps for the shifting of utility services in accordance with the alignment.
They said that a meeting should be held next week to set timelines regarding the shifting of utility services.
They said the Orange Line metro service will provide a major facility for the commute of citizens, with thousands of passengers traveling daily.
They said that residents of the areas adjacent to the route should be informed in a timely manner regarding the temporary closure of services during the shifting of utilities. Deputy Commissioner Nadeem Nasir, MD of Mass Transit Authority, and officers from the relevant departments attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, the meeting was also told that
The construction of a new 280-bed Emergency Block has commenced at the Faisalabad Institute of Cardiology (FIC).
Commissioner Faisalabad Raja Jahangir Anwar laid the foundation stone.
The commissioner informed that the 4-story Emergency Block, costing Rs55 million, will be completed in a short period of 10 months. Upon completion of the Emergency Block, the required machinery and resources will be provided by the Government of Punjab.
He stated that the hospital currently provides OPD services to 4,000 patients suffering from heart disease daily.
