Metro bus audit: Punjab govt’s forensic auditors arrive in Pindi
Examine records of <br />
rejected contracts, reasons for rejection
Metro bus. PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN/EXPRESS
RAWALPINDI:
A forensic audit team of the provincial government has arrived in Rawalpindi to conduct an audit of the metro bus project built to connect the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
The team has recovered all records pertaining to the project, built by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.
The project’s executive agency, the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA), has furnished all relevant documents to the special audit team. The records include all agreements and information of the contracting companies, including details of the tendering process.
The forensic team was told that the revised cost of the project was Rs44.56 billion and that the mechanism for awarding of the contract was completely transparent and based on merit.
The records also contained information regarding the contracts which had been rejected and the reasons for their rejection, the officials were told. Moreover, they were told that all companies participating in the tendering process had expressed their confidence in it. The project’s package one which comprised of Saddar to Committee Chowk and was awarded to Zahir Khan and Brothers (ZKB), while the contract for the second leg of the project, from Committee Chowk to Rahmanabad to the Saddar Command and Control Center was awarded to Deen Sons.
The contract for Peshawar Mor Depot was given to Habib Construction company while the contract for the Faizabad-Peshawar Mor section had been awarded to Meron Pvt Limited. The contract for Peshawar Mor Interchange was given to the National Logistics Cell (NLC) while the contract for Peshawar Mor-Centaurus section was given to Mal Kenson. The package for Centaurus to Shaheed Millat was given to ZKB, while the contract for Shaheed Millat to Pak Secretariat was awarded to Mak Reliable Company. The contract for its operations, management and maintenance had been handed to a Turkish firm commonly known as Platform Tourism — the same firm running the metro bus project in Lahore.
Work on the project had started on April 23, 2014, and was officially inaugurated by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on June 4 the same year.
Construction on the 22.5-kilometer train, though, faced delays owing to the four-month-long protest by the rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) but was completed and opened its doors on June 6, 2015.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 1st, 2018.
A forensic audit team of the provincial government has arrived in Rawalpindi to conduct an audit of the metro bus project built to connect the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
The team has recovered all records pertaining to the project, built by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.
The project’s executive agency, the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA), has furnished all relevant documents to the special audit team. The records include all agreements and information of the contracting companies, including details of the tendering process.
The forensic team was told that the revised cost of the project was Rs44.56 billion and that the mechanism for awarding of the contract was completely transparent and based on merit.
The records also contained information regarding the contracts which had been rejected and the reasons for their rejection, the officials were told. Moreover, they were told that all companies participating in the tendering process had expressed their confidence in it. The project’s package one which comprised of Saddar to Committee Chowk and was awarded to Zahir Khan and Brothers (ZKB), while the contract for the second leg of the project, from Committee Chowk to Rahmanabad to the Saddar Command and Control Center was awarded to Deen Sons.
The contract for Peshawar Mor Depot was given to Habib Construction company while the contract for the Faizabad-Peshawar Mor section had been awarded to Meron Pvt Limited. The contract for Peshawar Mor Interchange was given to the National Logistics Cell (NLC) while the contract for Peshawar Mor-Centaurus section was given to Mal Kenson. The package for Centaurus to Shaheed Millat was given to ZKB, while the contract for Shaheed Millat to Pak Secretariat was awarded to Mak Reliable Company. The contract for its operations, management and maintenance had been handed to a Turkish firm commonly known as Platform Tourism — the same firm running the metro bus project in Lahore.
Work on the project had started on April 23, 2014, and was officially inaugurated by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on June 4 the same year.
Construction on the 22.5-kilometer train, though, faced delays owing to the four-month-long protest by the rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) but was completed and opened its doors on June 6, 2015.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 1st, 2018.