KARACHI: Sindh Transport Minister Syed Awais Shah said on Thursday that provincial government will not lift the ban on public transport in Sindh until the countrywide lockdown ends. Talking to media in Karachi, the Sindh transport minister said that govt is implementing on the smart lockdown strategy and has allowed some industries to resume their operations. Awais Shah said that transporters cooperated with the government during the lockdown in the province and they [Sindh govt] will not leave them alone in these difficult times. “Some standard operating procedures (SOPs) for transporters have been formulated while the SOPs for intercity bus service has also been proposed,” he added. Sindh minister said that he will put forward the demands and suggestions of transporters in front of Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah. Earlier on April 26, Sindh Transport Minister Syed Awais Shah met with Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah here on Sunday to discuss matters related to transporters amid the coronavirus lockdown. During the meeting, Awais Shah apprised CM Murad about the reservations of the transporters and problems being faced by them during the Covid-19 lockdown. Murad Ali Shah directed the Sindh transport minister to formulate the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the resumption of public transport. “Government will resolve all reservations of transporters on a priority basis,” Murad assured transporters. It may be noted that President Karachi Transport Ittehad Irshad Bukhari had given the ultimatum to the Sindh government to relax the rules for them in the lockdown within three days. “We will wait for three days for Sindh government’s decision, after then will park the vehicles on the roads”, Irshad Bukhari was quoted as saying. On March 23, Sindh Transport Minister Awais Shah had ordered a ban on intra-city as well as inter-city public transport across the province.
