Port Qasim to gift hybrid buses to KU, NED, other universities: Ali Zaidi

• Port Qasim will gift hybrid buses to University of Karachi, Dow University of Health Sciences, SMC and NED, says Ali Zaidi.
• He says a new bus service between Port Qasim and KPT will be launched to facilitate masses.  
• Zaidi says govt would launch a new company named Pakistan Maritime Services under public-private partnership mode.

KARACHI: Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi Sunday announced that Port Qasim will gift hybrid buses to the University of Karachi, Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS), SMC and NED University.

Talking to journalists, Ali Zaidi said that the government will launch a new bus service between Port Qasim and the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) to facilitate the employees and people. In order to resolve the traffic issue in the metropolis, the minister said that they would construct bridges for to ensure free flow of traffic. 

Responding to a question, Ali Zaidi said the government will not allow KPT land to be leased for pennies. Talking about port affairs, he said past governments had neglected the sector, adding that an internal audit of the department had not been conducted since 2010. 

KPT’s workshop remained closed for the past 14 years, disclosed Zaidi. 

Highlighting the importance of ports, the minister said that the economy of any country depends on them. The entire coastal area has been encroached in Karachi, he added. The minister said that KPT is already facing an administrative crisis.

The minister announced the government's move to launch a new company named Pakistan Maritime Services under a public-private partnership mode. The company will do business in local currency, he added.