Led by its Chairman Sher Ali Arbab, a five-member delegation of the National Assembly’s Parliamentary Committee on CPEC visited Orange Line Metro Train’s Dera Gujran depot on Friday.
Punjab Minister for Transport Jehanzeb Khan Khichi, Aurangzeb Khan Khichi MNA, Secretary Transport Wajihullah Kundi, Managing Director Punjab Masstransit Authority Mirza Naseer Inayat, General Manager (Ops) Syed Uzair Shah and Chinese contractors welcomed the delegation and gave a briefing about the operation control centre. The delegation inspected the control center, maintenance shed, washing and parking areas and expressed satisfaction over the state-of-the-art arrangements.
Later, the delegation, accompanied by Provincial Minister Jahanzeb Khichi, Secretary Transport and PMA officials, travelled from Dera Gujran depot to Lakshmi Chowk station to inspect the facilities.
Talking to the delegation, Jahanzeb Khichi said Orange Line Metro Train was the first CPEC project in the transport sector and its first electric transport of Pakistan. He said Orange Line Metro Train was a government-to-government project which has been completed with Chinese collaboration. The incumbent government has not only completed the project but also made it functional because of international commitments, he maintained.
The provincial minister said steps were being taken to increase the number of passengers and to reduce the subsidy to make it profitable. Free travel facility would be provided to senior citizens and differently-abled persons while student cards will be offered to the students, he disclosed. Government employee cards and working women cards would also be introduced, he added.
Members of the national assembly Noor Alam Khan, Raza Rabbani Khan, Zahid Akram Durrani, Umer Aslam Khan, deputy chief executive officer of a consortium comprising of Norinco International, Guangzhou Metro and Daewoo Express Li Chen and others were also present.
