Status quo: Money for city’s development remains largely unchanged from 2014-15

Mass transit system makes reappearance with similar project, feasibility numbers.

PESHAWAR: Levels of inflation may have changed, but the development budget for the city in 2015-16 remains exactly the same as the last fiscal year’s.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led government presented its third provincial budget and according to the finance minister’s speech, Rs29 billion allocated for Peshawar will be spent on improving infrastructure and some new projects. Some of the schemes announced for 2014-15 could not be completed by the end of the fiscal year.

Public transport on paper

The much-publicised mass transit system, announced last year, never saw the light of day.

In 2014-15, a total of Rs500 million was raised for the project through donors in a public-private partnership, while Rs700 million was allocated for the feasibility study of design references. Both these amounts remained the same for 2015-16.

The work on widening roads of Peshawar will continue into the coming year fiscal year. The government is also planning to carry out significant road construction. Plans include construction of elevated U-turns, as well as widening Nasir Bagh Road, Warsak Canal and Jamrud Road. All of this work will be completed through the provincial budget for urban and rural development which amounts to Rs17.76 billion.

Townships

“The government has allocated a Rs29 billion special package for Peshawar where four new townships would be constructed on land measuring 227,000 kanals,” K-P Minister for Finance Muzaffar Said announced in the budget speech. “A total of Rs1.75 billion will be spent on the construction of a flyover near Phase-III Chowk in Hayatabad,” he added.

The K-P government also plans on installing solar lights in parks of Hayatabad and the northern section of Ring Road. It will also construct a flyover in Phase III of the area in duration of six months. A service road is also part of the plan.

“The government will also construct a secretariat for the newly-elected local governments in Peshawar. It will also widen University Road and the missing links,” the budget document stated.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 16^th, 2015.