KARACHI: In less than two months since its launch, the Sindh government has been forced to suspend one route, shorten another, and faces a significant challenge in completing the journey of its third route because several parts of the road are no longer “motorable.” These rapidly deteriorating city infrastructure, poor road conditions, and damaged thoroughfares as a result of a few spells of monsoon rains have started taking a toll on the recently launched Peoples Bus Service.
After heavy rains that devastated the city’s sewer system and left tens of thousands of potholes on major thoroughfares, the city’s already deteriorating roadways suffered additional harm.According to sources in the Sindh Mass Transit Authority, “a significant proportion” of the total of 90 buses operating on Karachi roadways as part of the Peoples Bus Service programme were parked in the depot for the past few weeks.
An official stated, “The project’s very first route, which was opened in June, sustained damage.” He continued, “The Route-1 travels the distance via Sharea Faisal from Model Colony to Tower.”The path has been shortened for about a month now. The buses now stop at Model Mor, which is four to five kilometres in advance of the original itinerary. Previously, they made their final stop at Model Colony Phatak (a railway crossing). It’s because Model Colony’s Liaquat Ali Khan Road has virtually been destroyed by the recent floods. After more downpours, the already poor condition of the road got worse, he claimed.
