20-day deadline: PHC orders PESCO to clear path for Northern Bypass

Court says completion time for highway should be reduced to one year.

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has directed the chief executive of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) to remove heavy power transmission lines, which are obstructing the construction of the Northern Bypass. The court has given Pesco 20 days to comply with the order.

The order was issued by a two-member bench, comprising Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan and Justice Asadullah Khan Chamkani, in a suo motu case on the delay in constructing the Northern Bypass, which links main Ring Road to Hayatabad near Karkhano Market.



The court further said the National Highway Authority (NHA) must expedite the construction work and reduce the stipulated completion time of the project to one year instead of 15 months.

The bench was informed by NHA Engineering Wing Assistant Director Shoaib Nadir that 73% of the work has been completed and the highway will be opened for public by March 2014.

Nadir said they had paid Pesco in March to remove the transmission lines and had sent them many reminders, but this was yet to be done. The PHC showed displeasure over the delay and ordered the chief executive of Pesco to convene a meeting and resolve the problem.



The court further ordered that if Pesco fails to comply, it will be liable to pay interest to the NHA until the completion of the project.

On May 7, the PHC was informed by NHA officials that the federal government has released Rs1.88 billion to them for early completion of Peshawar Northern Bypass Road.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 25^th, 2013.