The green transport project would revolutionise the country’s transportation infrastructure. It will also promote the environmental sustainability and efficient mobility solutions across the nation, said Coordinator to Prime Minister on Climate Change, Romina Khurshid Alam in a meeting with a high-level Chinese delegation. She said, “the present government is committed to modernize the country’s public transport system having the environmentally-efficiency. The government has implemented the National Electric Vehicle Policy made in 2019 to promote the electric vehicles in the country by providing incentives to the e-vehicle manufacturers – reduced duties, taxes for EVs, tax rebates for manufacturers, and support for building EV charging infrastructure”. She highlighted that cities like Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi have already introduced electric buses as part of their public transportation systems providing environment-friendly public mobility facilities.

Pakistan is keen to meet its commitment to the Paris Agreement by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from various sectors, particularly transport. The said meeting was called to revolutionise the mass transit system into a sustainable and eco-friendly world-class transportation facility for the public. The delegation, comprising senior-level officials of the Chongqing CRRC Hengton Vehicle Company and Chongqing Public Transport Group Company, Power China International and Daewoo Pakistan Express apprised the PM’s climate aide of Pakistan Green Transport Project (PGTP, a consortium of Pakistani and Chinese transport companies working to bring zero-emission), set up under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework. Briefing MS. Alam, Faisal Ahmed Siddiqui, CEO Daewoo Pakistan Express group said “Green transport in the country, would help reduce the country’s petroleum import bill, ensure optimal utilization of the power generation capacity and will improve the environmental conditions as well”.

He told that MoU has already been signed among the consortium members at Pakistan Business Conference held in Schenzhen city of China in June 2024 in the presence of Federal Minister for Privatization and Board of Investment Abdul Aleem Khan; Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain and Federal Commerce Minister Jam Kamal. A senior official of a Chinese transport company Zhou Zheng informed Ms. Alam that with the provincial governments they are initiating to introduce electric buses, set up unified charging systems for the e-transport, and the bus stop mini shopping mall model initially in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi. In the second phase, the same systems will be introduced in other cities. He said, “Through the e-buses network in urban centers of Pakistan, we aim to provide technical assistance to reduce the growth of energy consumption & related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the transport sector”. The Prime Minister’s Coordinator Romina Khurshid Alam thanked the delegation for their interest in revolutionising Pakistan’s mass transit system by introducing a network of e-buses and charging facilities. She assured them climate change & environmental coordination ministry’s all-out support for implementing the Pakistan Green Transport Project.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan