LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Transport Bilal Akbar Khan emphasized the importance of expanding the scope of the e-bike initiative to encompass all segments of society, particularly focusing on university students in the initial phase.
He mentioned that the directive from Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif was to double the capacity of the e-bike program, aiming to ensure broader community inclusion.
During a meeting of the Steering Committee convened to address issues related to e-bikes here on Wednesday, Transport Secretary Dr. Javed Ahmed Qazi informed stakeholders that the Steering Committee, formed by the Chief Minister Punjab, aims to resolve issues related to the provision of e-bikes. He highlighted that all stakeholders have been included in this committee.
The meeting’s objective was to incorporate everyone’s suggestions and transform valuable insights into a comprehensive plan. The Punjab government has already approved 20,000 e-bikes, and now the focus was on enhancing this scheme, with sta
keholders’ confidence being pivotal before any further steps.
Various proposals were presented during the session, emphasizing the inclusion of marginalized communities.
The minister emphasized the formation of a working group and ensuring transparency in the Punjab Mass Transit Authority’s portal to avoid any ambiguities. Additionally, directives were issued to prepare a proposal for 15,000 and 25,000 e-bikes for female students and male students, respectively, for approval by the Chief Minister Punjab. He further directed that everything should be highlighted in the newspaper advertisement and the scheme should be completed before June.
Chairman PITB, Additional IG Traffic Police, additional secretaries Information, Finance, HEC, Environment and representatives of other departments were present.