Cabinet okays four-year plan to bring 8,000 e-buses to Karachi

KARACHI: The provincial government has decided to add 8,000 electric buses (e-buses or EBs) to the Peoples Bus Service (PBS) fleet in phases as the National Energy & Transport Corporation has submitted a proposal to launch the project in three stages over four years of time.

This emerged on Thursday in the meeting of the provincial cabinet which was informed that the 1,500 buses were planned for the city in the Phase-1 for the first year with 50 already operational EBs.

The cabinet meeting, held with Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah in the chair, was told that as per NETC proposal another 1,500 buses would be added to the fleet in the second phase, while 4,000 to 6,000 would be deployed in the city in the final phase.

The NETC is hundred per cent subsidiary of National Radio Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC) under the defence production ministry.

Independent expert appointed to monitor all aspects of the project, cabinet told

It was informed that the NETC would develop charging infrastructure, depots, and bus stations, while a solar energy plant of up to one gigawatt (GW) was also expected to be completed by the end of Phase 3.

The cabinet was told that the NETC proposal for a pilot project comprising 50 e-buses on a rent-to-own model was approved on May 30, 2024.

Under this model, the NETC will procure and supply the buses at a specified cost per kilometre, covering a defined distance per annum.

The cabinet was told that an independent expert had been appointed to monitor all aspects of the project, including technical, financial, and legal considerations.

The cabinet approved a contract agreement between the Sindh Mass Transit Authority (SMTA) and the NETC for the supply, construction, operation, and maintenance of 100 electric buses on a rent-to-own basis.

The cabinet also allocated Rs412.50 million for the last quarter of the fiscal year (April-June 2025) and Rs1.65 billion annually (for eight years) for monthly payments related to the 100 electric buses.

During the four-and-a-half-hour meeting, the participants also made several significant decisions, including the recruitment of 195 teachers, creation of 700 more teacher positions and approval of amendments to the education board laws.

Amendments to education boards laws

The cabinet discussed the amendments to the Sindh Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education Bill-2024 and the Sindh Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Ordinance 1972.

The amendments paved the way for appointment of cadre officers of BPS-19/20 as education board chairman by the controlling authority through either a direct recruitment process or by transfer from among cadre officers on terms and conditions determined by the authority.

The amendments include the inclusion of members from civil society, headmasters and principals’ representatives on the board.

Under these amendments, the government would have the authority to remove any board member and would not allow any benefits, allowances or concessions to the individuals working there. The chairman will hold office for a term of three years from the date of his appointment and will be eligible for reappointment for additional specified periods.

Recruitment of teachers

The provincial cabinet was informed that following the Teaching Licence Policy, a test was conducted in March 2024 through the third-party, Sukkur IBA, in which both pre-service (fresh candidates) and in-service teachers participated. A rigorous assessment was carried out, with a total of 4,000 candidates appearing in the test. Only 646 candidates (195 fresh candidates and 451 in-service teachers) qualified by achieving high standards of 50 or more marks in both content and pedagogy sections.

The cabinet was informed that 700 new posts of elementary school teachers (EST) in BS-16 were created specifically for in-service and pre-service candidates who held teaching licences.

However, it was informed that the finance department had only included 352 of those posts in the budget, leaving 348 posts yet to be reflected to accommodate all teaching licence holders. The CM directed the finance department to clear 348 posts.

Regarding the 195 fresh teaching licence holders, the cabinet granted them a time exemption for the written test, referring them to the Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC) for interviews for their appointments against the vacant EST (BPS-16) positions.

The cabinet also urged the federal government to initiate Flood Protection Plan IV on a 50:50 cost-sharing basis. Additionally, the chief minister directed the education department to develop a Transgender Education Policy and granted a tax exemption on the Sindh Revenue Board (SRB) fees for K-IV procurement.

The meeting was attended among others by provincial ministers, advisers, special assistants, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, PSCM Agha Wasif, and other relevant secretaries.

Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2025