Faisalabad safe city project hits snags

RPO says work was stopped in June 2018 due to unavailability of funds

FAISALABAD: Work on Faisalabad Safe City Project has come to a standstill due to the non-release of funds.

The project, which was started three years ago, is being constructed on 19 kanals of land at Tariq Mujahid Police Line in the industrial city of Faisalabad. The aim of the project was to control the rising street crime in the city and to protect the lives and properties of the citizens.

Started on the pattern of the Lahore’s project, it was launched on May 24, 2017. The total cost of the project is Rs157.12 million. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had released Rs80 million and the amount was used to construct the building structure, basement and ground and first floor. It is a four-storey building and the target was to complete it within a year, but construction work was stopped in June 2018 due to lack of funds.

K-P CM wants Safe City Project deadline met

The Punjab Building Department has requested the release of the remaining Rs70 million to complete this project in a year. Under the project, around 7,000 cameras would be installed at various highways across the city. At least 500 LCDs had to be installed to monitor these cameras but due to the unavailability of funds, the amount spent on the project is being wasted. The aim to secure the city via using cameras seems a bit difficult to achieve.

Former provincial police officials Amjad Javed Saleemi and Captain Arif Nawaz also claimed that they would ensure completion of the project. Punjab IG Shoaib Dastageer, on his recent official visit to Faisalabad, asserted the significance of this project.

Talking about the lack of funds for the project, Faisalabad Safe City Project Regional Police Officer Riffat Mukhtar Raja told The Express Tribune that work on the project started before he took charge and funds could not be released due to financial constraints. However, with the improvement of economic conditions, it is expected that funds will be released. “We will be able to control criminal activities in the city as the project will help us arrest the suspects,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 7^th, 2020.