In a late night tweet on Saturday, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif accused the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government of corruption and quipped that the constructon cost of the Peshawar BRT project equaled that of three BRT projects funded during the PML-N tenure.
Cost of Peshawar Metro (still incomplete) is almost equal to the cost of Lahore, RWP-Islamabad & Multan BRTs combined. Lahore BRT 27km @ Rs 29.65B cost AND Peshawar BRT 27.6 km @ Rs. 90+ Billion cost. No wonder PTI got stay orders from courts to prevent corruption inquiry...
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) February 8, 2020
"Cost of Peshawar Metro (still incomplete) is almost equal to the cost of Lahore, RWP-Islamabad & Multan BRTs combined," wrote the ex-chief minister. He added that Lahore's 27 kilo metre metro project cost Rs29.65 billion while Peshawar's 27.6 km project was slated for over Rs90 billion.
"No wonder PTI got stay orders from courts to prevent corruption inquiry..." he quipped referring to the Supreme Court stay orders sought by the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government over Peshawar High Court verdicts.
Even though there were groundless & false accusations of corruption against the 3 BRT projects built by PMLN & they were derided as 'Jangla' bus, these were completed in record time & provide dignified & safe travel to the citizens, especially women & the daily wage earners.
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) February 8, 2020
Shehbaz dismissed PTI's criticism of the PML-N metro projects as "groundless and false accusations of corruption".
"They were derided as 'Jangla' bus," he wrote. "[But] these were completed in record time and, provide dignified and safe travel to the citizens, especially women & the daily wage earners."
ADB finds 'deadly flaws' in Peshawar BRT project
Defence Minister Pervez Khattak was quick to shut down the PML-N president's allegations. Responding to Shehbaz's tweet thread, Khattak urged him to not "mislead the nation".
It may be mentioned here that the Peshawar BRT project was inititated during Khattak's tenure as the K-P chief minister.
1/3 BRT’s main corridor & its feeding routes have been completed, only the IT system is in its completion stage. The total cost of this project isn’t 90 bn as quoted by you, but its 66 bn. Cost of BRT main corridor isn’t more than that of Lhr Metro even after a period of 5 yrs. https://t.co/7Ue6j9Gsub
— Pervez Khattak (@PervezKhattakPK) February 8, 2020
In a series of tweets, the PTI minister clarified that the total cost was actually Rs66 billion. "Cost of the [Peshawar] BRT main corridor isn't more than that of the Lahore metro project even after a period of five years."
He added that the main Peshawar BRT corridor and its feeding routes were completed and only the information technology (IT) system was in the processing stage.
2/3 The other additional cost of BRT (land acquisition, commercial & parking plaza) is around 13 bn. Apart from the main corridor, BRT has a 50 km feeding route in BRT whose cost includes upgradation of bus stops, drainage system, roads & its beautification. https://t.co/7Ue6j9Gsub
— Pervez Khattak (@PervezKhattakPK) February 8, 2020
Breaking down the cost, he remarked that the additional cost including land acquisition, commercial & parking plaza was "around Rs13 billion".
Apart from the main corridor, he added, the project has a 50 km feeding route - cost of which includes "upgradation of bus stops, drainage system, roads and its beautification".
Elaborating on the specifics, Khattak said the buses had been imported from China and had the capacity to accomodate five times "more passengers".
3/3 BRT buses have been imported from China & are 3 times more than Lhr Metro buses which were rented. Also, these buses will be accomodating 5 times more passengers spread across Psh city compared to Lhr Metro, which is benefitting v few ppl. Kindly don’t mislead the nation. https://t.co/7Ue6j9Gsub
— Pervez Khattak (@PervezKhattakPK) February 8, 2020
He claimed that while the PML-N's Lahore project was beneficial to only a few, the Peshawar project was helping a lot more people.
K-P Finance Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra also rebuffed the PML-N president’s stats and posted his own.
Labelling Shehbaz’s tweets as “misleading and wrong”, Jhagra vehemently denied the Peshawar BRT project costing a whopping Rs90 billion. He also dismissed the comparison with Lahore’s metro project.
“The equivalent cost of the BRT corridor is actually Rs3 billion cheaper than Lahore, even without factoring in the time value of money,” he stressed.
2. The comparison with other BRT projects is also misleading. The Peshawar BRT is the first 3rd generation BRT project in Pakistan with 8 off corridor routes covering the length & breadth of the city; worth looking at a comparison of features for the four projects. pic.twitter.com/9N1PU8d2Jz
— Taimur Saleem Khan Jhagra (@Jhagra) February 9, 2020
Terming the project as the first third generation BRT project in the country, Jhagra explained that it comprised eight off-corridor routes covering the length and breadth of the city.
Factoring in the current rupee value against the United States dollar, the provincial finance minister said the Peshawar BRT project cost $204 million compared to Lahore’s $320 million.
4. Why the cost of the BRT project is greater if the corridor has been built for less than Rs 30 bln?
— Taimur Saleem Khan Jhagra (@Jhagra) February 9, 2020
Additional cost is for procurement of buses, commercial buildings, feeder routes, a state of the art ITS system for ticketing; all features making Peshawar BRT more sustainable. pic.twitter.com/0mWIYuzpYK
“Why [is] the cost of the BRT project greater if the corridor has been built for less than Rs30 billion?” he asked. “Additional cost is for procurement of buses, commercial buildings, feeder routes, a state of the art ITS system for ticketing - all features making Peshawar BRT more sustainable.”
Taking some responsibility of the delay, Jhagra reflected: “Does this mean everything was executed perfectly? Absolutely not, much could be improved. Complex projects the world over have challenges.”
“At this stage though, our first priority is not to stall the project for inquiries, but to complete it ASAP and ensure smooth operations,” he added.
SC stops FIA from probing Peshawar BRT project
The Peshawar BRT project
The BRT project has become an irritant for the government and source of criticism for the opposition. Launched in October 2017, the bus-based mass transit project was supposed to complete before the July 2018 general election.
Khattak had pledged to complete the ambitious project in six months.
According to the Project Concept-I (PC-I) of the project, April 2021 was clearly mentioned as the deadline for its completion. However, the previous and present chief ministers both stuck to their pledge of completing the project.
In November 2019, a PHC bench consisting of Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Ahmad Ali had ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to investigate alleged financial irregularities and submit report within 45 days. The decision came on three separate petitions pertaining to the BRT project.
The Mahmood Khan-led K-P government and the Peshawar Development Authority filed separate pleas in the Supreme Court challenging the PHC verdict. In February 2020, the apex court stopped the FIA investigation and adjourned the hearing for an indefinite period.
This is not the first time the PTI government's ambitious project has been debated in the courts.
On July 17 2018, a high court bench headed by PHC chief justice had also ordered the National Accountability Bureau to launch a proper investigation and inquiry into the BRT affairs.
Two months, on September 4 2018, a top court bench headed by then Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar suspended the high court order. Consequently, the findings of the initial NAB inquiry could not see the light of the day.
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