Aziz told the media at the Peshawar Press Club that the MTS, also known as rapid bus transport, was the only solution to the increasing traffic problems of the city.
“The feasibility report of the project is clear and has been approved by the chief minister. However, it faced strong opposition from the federal government and work could not be initiated,” Aziz said.
The provincial government earlier acknowledged overhead bridges under construction in the city would not be enough to mitigate the traffic woes of commuters. The MTS, on the other hand, would enable people to reach the ends of the city within minutes.
He said Bacha Khan International Airport and Peshawar Cantt fell along the route of the MTS and that was the reason it was being opposed. However, Aziz added the main stumbling blocks to the project were not hidden from anyone and work would soon be initiated.
The MTS was announced by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government and would start from Chamkani area of the city and end in Hayatabad.
Three tracks for buses would be made over the decades-old railway tracks which had not been used for the last 65 years. The total length would be around 27 kilometres.
Another problem for the project was encroachment on railway lands. Aziz said that the tracks had not been used for the last 65 years due to which the land mafia had encroached upon them.
Majority of land along the tracks had also been given on lease by the railway authorities. There were also constructions built by the land mafia on the encroached land which created further difficulties despite the fact that railway authorities had agreed in principle to the project.
The vice chairman of KPBOIT added a total of 52 buses would operate during the day as part of the non-stop transport system. The buses would start their journey from Chamkani and make the first stop in Nothia. From there, they would move to Hayatabad area.
Aziz said that cost of the entire project was Rs14 billion. He said tenders would be issued according to the rules of the board of investment for the buses. He hoped to see better quality vehicles with the capacity to transport between 160 and 230 passengers on the route.
“There has been no technical fault cited in the system and the project is technically perfect,” asserted the KPBOIT vice chairman.
The KPBOIT is a private body formed by the K-P government to attract investment in trade and other development projects in the province. It was also assigned the task of making feasibility reports to attract investors.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 2nd, 2014.
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@Zain
The route planned is NOT ridiculous & it certainly doesn't go through the runway!
Your blind hatred for PTI has made you lose your bearings Mr.Zain.
The railway line was in use only a decade ago, until 2006, running the Khyber Pass Railways till Landi Kotal. Railways has no obligation to, and should not abandon the Right-of-Way to Landi Kotal and disconnect FATA from any resumption of railways when peace is restored.
Moreover, the planned line goes through the runway of the airport. Do they plan to construct a flyover over a runway? Go underneath it and cause disruption in aviation activity?
The route planned was ridiculous and blaming the federal govt is an easy way out.