CM Khattak insists on completing Bus Rapid Transit by April 30
Claims that work on the project has been completed within a very short span of time
Peshawar Bus-Rapid-Transit project. PHOTO: FILE
PESHAWAR:
With the government hoping to announce the completion of reach-I of its flagship bus project, the provincial chief minister on Thursday claimed that work on the project has been completed within a very short span of time and by incurring minimum expenditure as he reiterated the deadline of April 30.
He said this during a meeting of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa cabinet at the CM House on Thursday.
CM Pervez Khattak said that when compared to similar projects built in Lahore, Islamabad and Multan, the government had made public the total expenditure incurred on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project including other expenses such as the cost of buses, land, commercial plazas, drainage system, footpaths and expansion of the road.
Basic structure of BRT to be built in six months, PHC told
Khattak maintained that only Rs30 billion has been spent on the construction of BRT, however, other expenditures had ballooned the cost. This, he contended, was far less than what had been spent to build the Metro Bus Projects in Lahore and Islamabad.
Explaining the changes to the BRT design, the cabinet was told that these had been made in public interest. After these amendments, flyovers at Tehkal, Gulbahar, Firdous Chowk and Airport had been included in the project. The cabinet was assured that all the debris from the construction sides will be removed and roads on both sides of the BRT would be developed by April 30.
This, they hoped, would smooth the flow of traffic.
BRT Peshawar spadework to start on Oct 19
The cabinet was further informed that a 20-year plan had been prepared to address the traffic problem in the city with the financial assistance of Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 2013. In this regard, a 27-kilometre long road of this project is being completed with its designed approved by ADB.
The cabinet was told that the Pajagi to Warsak Road would be ready for by May 10.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 20th, 2018.
With the government hoping to announce the completion of reach-I of its flagship bus project, the provincial chief minister on Thursday claimed that work on the project has been completed within a very short span of time and by incurring minimum expenditure as he reiterated the deadline of April 30.
He said this during a meeting of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa cabinet at the CM House on Thursday.
CM Pervez Khattak said that when compared to similar projects built in Lahore, Islamabad and Multan, the government had made public the total expenditure incurred on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project including other expenses such as the cost of buses, land, commercial plazas, drainage system, footpaths and expansion of the road.
Basic structure of BRT to be built in six months, PHC told
Khattak maintained that only Rs30 billion has been spent on the construction of BRT, however, other expenditures had ballooned the cost. This, he contended, was far less than what had been spent to build the Metro Bus Projects in Lahore and Islamabad.
Explaining the changes to the BRT design, the cabinet was told that these had been made in public interest. After these amendments, flyovers at Tehkal, Gulbahar, Firdous Chowk and Airport had been included in the project. The cabinet was assured that all the debris from the construction sides will be removed and roads on both sides of the BRT would be developed by April 30.
This, they hoped, would smooth the flow of traffic.
BRT Peshawar spadework to start on Oct 19
The cabinet was further informed that a 20-year plan had been prepared to address the traffic problem in the city with the financial assistance of Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 2013. In this regard, a 27-kilometre long road of this project is being completed with its designed approved by ADB.
The cabinet was told that the Pajagi to Warsak Road would be ready for by May 10.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 20th, 2018.