Karachi’s Green Line bus service has been fully operational for almost a month now and it is also quite popular with the public. When the service was initiated, it was announced that all escalators and elevators would be operational soon and the necessary gear and equipment would be imported. However many people, particularly the elderly, complain that several of the 22 bus stations’ escalators and elevators are inoperational or have been turned off, making it nearly impossible for them to use the service.
Causes of Malfunction
The senior manager of the Sindh Infrastructure Development Company Ltd. (SIDCL), Abdul Aziz, told DAWN News that the escalators and lifts at the stations were installed three years ago and had been collecting dust until the Government of Sindh brought in the buses.
“That dust and lack of use resulted in the malfunction of many escalators and lifts. But we got most of them working again,” he claimed.
“Then another issue crept in. We found parts of some escalators stolen. Someone even got away with stealing entire steps from the escalators. We have got the stolen parts replaced but this is also a problem for us,” he continued.
“Meanwhile, we also have certain escalators and lifts which are under repair. We also run checks and do maintenance work on them for which we need to stop the escalators for a bit. So they are not off all the time, they are just switched off for the brief time we are working on them,” Aziz said.
