Free travel on Lahore Metro Orange Line: Students happy economists worried
The students say that the government has given them relief in this era free travel of inflation. However, according to economic experts, this will put an additional burden on the provincial treasury.
The caretaker Government of Punjab has announced free travel facility for the students by canceling the tickets in metro bus running in different cities of the province & orange line train of Lahore City.
Both these projects are already suffering from financial losses & the Punjab government has to pay billions of rupees in subsidy.
Report Source: PUNJAB Govmt Information Department, Reported Saleem Khan.
At a time when the financially strapped government of Pakistan is trying to negotiate a staff level agreement with the IMF International Monetary Fund, Caretaker Provincial Information Minister Mr Aamir Mir says : that imbursing students with ticket exemptions’ F would Not mind.
Economists have described this initiative of the provincial government as welcome for the students but a burden on the provincial treasury.
According to the announcement issued by the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, the supervisory cabinet of Punjab has decided that “free travel facility will-be provided for students in the metro buses and orange line train running in the province.
Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has directed that Transport Department Punjab prepare and send an immediate summary regarding this concession given to students so that the decision can be implemented.’
According to the Punjab Transport Department, the preparation of the summary has-been started for the implementation of this decision of the cabinet.
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After this announcement, Noshin Ahmed, a student of Government College University Lahore said that in such a situation when everything is becoming expensive & education expenses have increased. The announcement of free travel facility by the government is welcome.
Thousands of students, including me. Go to and from college and university by metro bus or orange line train every day and spend one to 1 & a half hundred rupees for the fare.
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Nosheen also said: With free travel facility, poor students will get a lot of convenience & travel will-be free.
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According to Nohsin Ejaz, a student of Punjab University, the buses of government universities are also there to bring & take students from their homes, but still there are hundreds of students who travel from distant areas by metro buses or the Orange Line train. They come & go.
There are many students, including me. Who will benefit from this facility by ending the rent on behalf of the Punjab government.”
Students are happy about this travel concession, but economists are expressing reservations about it.
Economist Almas Haider also said: Currently, the country’s economy is under a lot of pressure, that’s why the government is trying to reduce the budget deficit by imposing various taxes, because this is the demand of the IMF & the priority of the government is that someone The burden of deficit should be reduced from the budget.
In his opinion, the Punjab government announcement of free travel facility for students in this period of inflation is an attempt to give relief to the people who are suffering from inflation.
Just as the government is giving relief to the poor under the Benazir Income Support Program in every situation. The students have-been given a fare waiver to travel.
Mr Almas said that such decisions do not have any negative impact on the contracts with the International Money Fund IMF or the economy, but the pressure on the provincial coffers definitely increases which the government has to adjust in 1 way or the other.
The Metro Bus Services & Orange Line Metro Train projects run by the Punjab Mass Transit Authority have-been the most expensive projects with huge losses since inception.
Former CM Usman Buzdar former government has-been calling these projects a burden on the province exchequer & a white elephant.
A report of the finance department said some time ago that the annual loss of 18 billion is being borne to keep the metro bus services, orange line metro train operational.
05 and a half billion received from the income of Metro Bus Service & Metro Train, while the costs of keeping the 2 mega projects active have reached more than 23 billion, on which the Punjab Finance Department has-been worried to meet the additional costs of both projects.
According to the report: hundreds of other development schemes of public welfare may be affected by this annual additional amount of 23 billion rupees.
Lahore, Rawalpindi Multan Lahore feeder buses which run from different areas to metro buses and Orange Line train) have an annual expenditure of Rs 15 billion while the income is Rs.3 billion.
The annual expenditure of Lahore Metrobus is four billion while the income is one billion & 13 crore rupees. The expenses of Lahore feeder bus service are 2.5 billion while the income is only 54 crore rupees.
In this regard, Punjab Information Minister Aamir Mir said: Giving free travel facility to students in metro buses & orange line train is a relief for them. The government has to give concessions on public welfare works all over the world.
According to Amir Mir: only students of the Bardi will be able to benefit from this travel facility, how many students will-be benefited daily can be estimated later. But I don’t think it will make much of a difference to the revenue.
He more said: IMF will not make any difference with such a concession because they also realize that without giving such relief, the hardships of the people cannot be reduced, so this announcement cannot be linked to the IMF.
