Authorities in Islamabad are proceeding with a plan to construct the National Bus Terminal on a sprawling area of almost 31 acres at Sector I-11/4 in Islamabad, and the plan has been reviewed at a meeting at the headquarters of the Capital Development Authority (CDA).

The meeting was chaired by CDA Chairman and Chief Commissioner Islamabad, Muhammad Ali Randhawa, and was attended by senior officials, which included Member Administration and Estate, Talat Mehmood; Member Engineering, Syed Nafasat Raza, Member Planning and Design, Dr Khalid Hafiz and Member Environment, Esfandyar Baloch.

During the session, the proposed layout of the site and traffic management system for the terminal was presented by the officials. According to the briefing, the facility will have the capability of parking over 100 buses, and this aims at improving the public transport operations within the capital.

The planned terminal will have dedicated bus bays, parking spaces, commercial spaces and petrol pumps. Additional facilities such as service stations, taxi stand and maintenance workshop are also included to enhance the convenience of passengers and also support the transport services.

Officials further asserted that the terminal is supposed to connect with the proposed 11th Avenue, which will ease the traffic congestion and improve accessibility in the adjoining areas.

Randhawa instructed the authorities to come up with a quality design for the project, and challenged for an open architectural competition to complete the design of the terminal. He also directed the relevant departments to expedite the process of consultants being hired, and to prepare a full financial and operational structure for the project’s construction and management in the long run.

Public safety: QR verification introduced for Bykea, taxi drivers

In a separate development, the district administration and federal police have launched joint efforts to ensure the registration of Bykea and taxi drivers operating in Islamabad, aiming to improve passenger safety and monitoring mechanisms.

DC Islamabad stated that the registration process will now be shifted from the district administration’s application to the Islamabad Police Taxi Verification App, allowing both drivers and passengers to upload required data easily through a centralised digital platform.

Also read: Public safety: QR verification introduced for Bykea, taxi drivers