A section of the Kalma Chowk flyover will be completed by July 25, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced on Friday. He said the remaining part too will be completed by August 14, making it the fastest structure of the kind to have been completed in the country.
Project Director Sabir Khan, however, said he was only committed to the August 14 deadline for the project when the project was scheduled to be inaugurated by the chief minister.
Pressed on the July 25 completion date mentioned by the chief minister while talking to the media, he said while the structure had been completed, ‘finishing touches’ remained to be applied. This, he said, included surfacing of the pavement, lane markings, installation of reflectors and placement of flower pots etc. “By August 14, we will have finished not only these things but also completed the other section.”
He said 50 per cent of the deck slabs were already in place on the second section.
He said neither the chief minister nor anybody from the CM Secretariat had taken him into confidence about bringing forward the deadline.
A senior Transport Department official, seeking anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the subject, told The Express Tribune the northen section would be completed by July 25 and the southern section by August 8. He said the practice so far had been to open such projects for traffic as soon as they were complete without waiting for any ceremony.
LRMT MoU signed
Construction work on the Lahore Mass Transit Train project will begin on August 14, Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif said on Friday. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Punjab government and a Chinese company, NORINCO, in this regard on Friday. Of the 27-kilometre (km) railway track from Gajju Matta on Ferozepur Road to Shahdara, about 7 km will be underground.
Khawaja Ahmad Hasaan, the Lahore Transport Company (LTC) chairperson signed the agreement on behalf of the city government. The chief minister and MPA Mehr Ishtiaq Ahmad were also present.
The chief minister said that a feasibility report for the project had put the cost at $2.4 billion.
However, it will now be completed at a cost of $1.7 billion after the Chinese company agreed to forgo profit.
Zhang Shiping, the Norinco vice president, reiterated that the company will not profit from the project.
He also said that Chinese Ex Im bank will provide a foreign exchange loan for the project. Shiping said that the project will be completed in four years for which technology will be provided to the Punjab government.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 16th, 2011.
COMMENTS (18)
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i appritiate sharif's
we hope that sharif brothers will be complete thios projecttttttt very soon we r w8ng thanx
I am from Lahroe and i am a big critic of SHARIF'S. They are actors want applause from audience on artificial or fake acting. If you come in Lahore and cross through "HARBANSPURA" under pass you must notice that construction work is still pending same is the case with shalimar underpass.just to show people that he (shahbaz) is vigilent inaugurate projects when it is half completed.
Quality is sacrificed just to earn fame,shame on you "FRAUD E AALA".
Well done . Lets hope the momentum is maintained in completing other projects as well. Moreover I think that we should stop being cynical and skeptic about every thing positive happening in Pakistan.It is a simple flyover/ bridge and nothing more.My suggestion is that instead of criticism we should pressurise leaders of other provinces to emulate Shahbaz. Aim should be the development ofarea , consequently Pakistan.
@Baloch: a very confused comment....what is your point...??? btw
I am not from Lahore but a rural place in Northern Punjab along with many Kashmiri families. We all applaud the development in Lahore because we all take pride in Lahore as a cultural gem in Pakistan so those people who say this development only benefits Lahorites have no idea how people in the Punjab think. We all think of Lahore as our own even if we don't live there. Lahore Lahore eh and the work that Shabaz Sharif has done for Lahore is nothing short of exceptional. I am sure that Lahore will become a shining example for the rest of Pakistan in no time. I look forward to taking the flyover the next time I visit Lahore and trust me, I won't sit around and complain as to why such a flyover isn't in Gujranwala or Rawalpindi or some other city in Punjab. When Lahore develops, all of Punjab develops!
the project in lahore will near to complete but ignor gujranwala khali bypass flyover which will not completed after one amd half year ................why???
@chikni
A place generating more revenue always gets bigger piece of the pie This is the way it is done in America and UK also But who is stopping you from moving to Lahore
@Zahid Qureshi: why...??? Karachi already had such a great nazim who worked wonders for the city.... why would you need help from those who destroyed the nazim system.....
spend billions in LAHORISTAN and ignore the rest of 9-10 crore living in Punjab.......... I am not against development in Lahore....but it should not be ONLY Lahore and nowhere else in Punjab....People have elected a chief minister for Punjab ....not for Lahore only.....
Hopefully Lahore Mass Transit Train project will begin soon. It will provide cheap and jaunting travelling for the poor people.
I wish they will have similar projects in Karachi also
we sincerely hope that Sharif Brothers realize that they are responsible for the entire province not just a city (lhr)....
Only leadership of Pakistan on which foreign investors can rely.
Completed? Looks like people will be flying over from one completed section to the other.
Indeed its really a big news ......... finally Mr. Sharif come to some agreement. Hope now this project completes successfully.