He said 350 new buses would run in Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Multan, Gujranwala and Bahawalpur under the new project. He said that besides making public transport system according to the international standard, the staff of the buses would be educated, courteous and dressed in clean uniform. He was presiding over a meeting on public transport system here on Sunday.

Shahbaz said that the provincial government was importing modern buses from China and the length of each bus would be 12 meters with a capacity for 80 passengers, with special facility for female passengers. He said a strategy should be evolved for introducing student card scheme for concession in fare so that students could get facility of travel.

The CM disclosed that bus stops of modern design with seating arrangements for passengers would be constructed where the facility of clean drinking water would also be available. He termed pink bus service for women, especially female students, a new public culture and directed that more coaster buses should ply for female passengers so that comfortable travelling facility could be available to them.

The chief minister said experience and expertise of should be utilised for launching new public transport system. He said the buses would run through CNG which would help in environmental protection, adding that the project of public transport was of great importance which would leave far reaching impacts. He said provision of best and comfortable travelling facilities was the top priority of the Punjab government and private sector was being encouraged in this regard so that it should take benefit from the government incentives for promotion of the sector.

He said that comfortable and respectable public transport was a sign of a civilized society and the Punjab government was making efforts to provide the best transport facilities to the people.

Earlier, Lahore Transport Company Chairman Khawaja Ahmad Hasaan informed the meeting that 100 buses had reached Karachi from China which would arrive in Lahore within next few days. He said the Lahore Transport Company had designed concessionary e-card for the benefit of the students.

Chairman Planning & Development, Secretary Finance, Secretary Transport, Commissioners and District Coordination Officers attended the meeting. cash prizes: Shahbaz Sharif has directed police officers to make police stations a symbol of protection for the oppressed where complainants be given respect and provided with complete justice.

He said that only the societies based on justice and supremacy of the law could make progress; therefore, police officers and officials should discharge their duties with responsibility and devotion.

He was addressing a function held for giving away prizes to the police officers and officials who recovered a child kidnapped in Jhang here on Sunday. Prizes of Rs100,000, Rs75,000 and Rs50,000 were distributed among the team which conducted the operation. The Home Secretary and IG Police were also present.

Addressing the function, the chief minister said that through the operation, police had given a message that it was fully alert to protect the life and property of the people. He said the professional and hardworking officers and officials were the asset to the police department. He said the provincial government had also paid special attention to improvement of the law and order besides curbing crimes during the last three and a half years. He said very experienced and competent police officers were being posted as regional police officers, capital city police officers and district police officers in the province.

Shahbaz disclosed that he had directed the police officers to share the grief of the masses. He asked the police officers to make the police stations as centers of peace for the people and help the government set up a society based on justice by providing them relief.

The CM said that 15,000 constables had been recruited in police department on merit. Similarly, recruitments of the assistant sub-inspectors had been made through the Punjab Public Service Commission. He said the provincial government had also increased the salaries of the police officials for their economic betterment. At the end, the chief minister distributed prizes among the officers and officials who had taken part in Jhang operation.