ISLAMABAD, Jan 2: The strike by public transporters and CNG station owners on Monday left thousands of people in the twin cities stranded, necessitating the launch of the much-needed bus service in the capital city.

Hundreds of people could be seen on the Islamabad Expressway walking towards their places of work.

“I am walking for almost over 10 kilometres from Rawalpindi Kutchery because there is no traffic,” said Raja Imtiaz, a peon at the federal secretariat, while talking to Dawn near Faizabad.

People could be seen stuck at bus stops near the airport, Khanna bridge, Iqbal Town, Kurri Road and Faizabad Bridge.

Riot police and VIP route security officials were deployed along the seven-kilometre stretch of Islamabad Expressway which was closed intermittently due to rioting and protests by the transporters.

“Had there been an official bus service in the capital city or even in Rawalpindi, the monopoly of local transporters may not have such an impact on the commuters,” said a section officer wishing not be named. The civil servant was also waiting for a miracle vehicle at Faizabad bus stop which could cruise him towards his office at the Cabinet Division.

“I guess the attendance at the secretariat must be limited because of this strike,” he added, hoping he would reach his office by the afternoon.

Adil Khan, a student at H-8 Commerce College, said: “Had there been a better government transport service, we may not have suffered due to these strikes. There is no use of large structures like Faisal Avenue Flyover, Zero Point Interchange because it serves those who own a car.”

He lashed out at the federal government saying: “It is wasting our money on mega development projects. We still have no decent bus service which needs less than a billion rupees.”

However, a spokesman for the Capital Development Authority (CDA) claimed that the new bus service would be launched within a 'month time'.

“We are cognizant of the public issue and will be purchasing 30 CNG buses to provide relief to the commuters,” added Ramzan Sajid, the spokesman.

Though the civic agency has completed over Rs20 billion development projects in the recent years, it is yet to spend a penny on public bus service.

Exams cancelled: The National University of Modern Languages (Numl) cancelled its Monday evening exams owing to the strike.

A media official of the university said : “We have cancelled the examination for bachelor's and master's programmes (evening session) mainly because of the strike. Students, faculty members and administration staff could not reach the campus,” he added.

The new dates for the exam, he added, would be announced and conveyed to the students later.