More than 70 per cent of the elevators of the stations are out of order
RAWALPINDI: The Metro project for Islamabad-Rawalpindi is not for disabled people. More than 70 per cent of the elevators of the stations are out of order, which means people who are on wheelchairs have no opportunity to travel on the bus. Also, more than 11 per cent of escalators are not working. According to the chairlift operator, the elevator problem is due to the presence of underground water. However, some elevators have never worked since the start of the project. Also, there are fewer buses in operation than required, with people suffering through long waits on their commutes and having to face overcrowding on the buses, just like in the old minibuses. At some stations, like Faizabad and Peshawar, there is a lack of ticket machines. At other stations, there is ongoing construction, which has also been creating problems for commuters.
The project whose construction cost was around Rs50 billion and that still costs the Punjab and federal governments around Rs2 billion per annum in subsidies, has not been audited, according to sources in the office of the Auditor General of Pakistan. All these irregularities need to be taken account of.
Malik Asadullah Shahid
Published in The Express Tribune, December 13th, 2015.
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