Beef with the BRT

On May 2^nd, traders set up a camp at Yadgaar Chowk in Peshawar in protest at the official lethargy shown in completing the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system and also to demand compensation from the provincial government for the losses incurred. The business of trading, dependent on daily sales, risks heavy potential losses. Furthermore, shopkeepers are protesting the government’s failure to take them into confidence prior to beginning work. They insist that the authorities provide them compensation for negative sales and demand withdrawal of any illegal taxes. On a macro scale, the authorities must accelerate work on the BRT so that districts can return to normalcy. They are also implored to cease causing major damage to heritage sites.

Militant occupancy has already destroyed several parts of our national heritage sites or rendered them impassable, especially in Peshawar. The planners of the BRT must take this into consideration in hopes of preserving what remains. Many great heritage monuments have been preserved the world over with cities erected around centuries-old structures, fascinatingly juxtaposed and adjacent to modern features. Worryingly, traders should not be the only ones acting in defence of heritage sites and all local communities should unite to bring provincial authorities on board. Time and again, authorities have to be forced to develop the will to protect the wonderous beauty this region acquired from previous civilisations.

Expecting agencies, government or public, to complete major projects on timelines promised is futile. One way to assuage the frustration arising from this frequent situation is to require paperwork such as no-objection certificates to be obtained prior to the commencement of projects and registered with a legal entity. It appears foolish when projects are left unfinished for years on end, entangled in litigation. Peshawar traders impacted by the legal delay in BRT development must receive compensation for their losses.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2018.

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