WB-funded road project hits a snag

The World Bank (WB) project for the reconstruction of Thandiani Road, a way that leads to the famous tourist hill resort Thandiani, has become a victim of corruption and malpractices as even 50% of the project could not be completed despite the passing of two years, The Express Tribune has learned.

SNGPL officials have recently threatened to lodge an FIR against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Integrated Tourism Development Project (KITE) authorities for damaging the pipeline.

KITE authorities only became active after complaints of delay in work were lodged to the WB's Global Director and on the Pakistan Citizen Portal by a local social activist.

After the inauguration by the former KP Chief Minister in October 2022, the reconstruction work on Thandiani Road was started and the project worth billions of rupees was entrusted to KITE with the two-year deadline of October 2024. WB officials had placed all the TORs regarding the project before KITE officials who accepted the TROs and began work on the project.

However, after the tender, a large firm in the province, after getting the contract, outsourced the project to small contractors due to which the quality of the work went down. With this attitude, WB officials continued to express their displeasure during their visits.

Due to sub-standard work and non-implementation of the TORs, Sohail Saleem Khan Jadoon, a social activist in the area, filed complaints with the WB's Global Director and the Pakistan Citizen Portal. KITE officials and SNGPL officials visited Rawalkot village on Friday. Locals complained that they were facing problems due to the delay in the construction of the road which they considered to be a source of prosperity for the area.

By excavating the road, which had to be built in three phases, in one go, not only the tourism of Thandiani had been destroyed, but also the employment of local people connected with it had also been destroyed, locals further complained.

During rains, water enters houses and shops, causing the loss of hundreds of thousands of rupees to local people.

People have suffered from various diseases due to the dust on the road and patients are dying before reaching the hospital. Not more than 10 labourers work with meagre machinery on the 25km road. Tourism in the area has ended and the tourists who are visiting Thandiani are facing accidents on the road. Mountains are sliding over the road, while the walls on the sides are also falling.

KITE officials claim that the work on the project halted due to monsoon rains will be resumed on September 15 and there will be no compromise on substandard work.

Admitting the mistake of the contractor, they said that work on the entire road should not have started at once, but needed to be done in a phase-wise manner. They said that the width of the road had been increased from 34 feet to 44 feet.

According to KITE officials, the Sui gas pipe is passing through the road and its authorities have been alerted several times but they are not willing to work on it due to which the gas pipeline is often damaged during the work. Sui Gas officials have also threatened to file an FIR against KITE.

A KITE Deputy Director said the sub-standard work would be replaced with quality work with the identification of locals. An estimate of more land and houses affected by road construction had been sent to the provincial cabinet and it is hoped that approval will be given soon, he added.

An agreement had been reached between KITE and local notables about the completion of the project in time, the DD added.