Work on the Metro Bus Project is likely to hit more snags as project handlers have failed to meet the second deadline to finish off the job.
The project was supposed to be completed on January 30, 2015, but project managers have failed to complete the work by the given deadline and sought another two-week’s time from Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. The CM after agreeing to extend the deadline had formed a monitoring committee headed by Hanif Abbassi to expedite the work on the project. Interestingly, the committee has failed to call a single meeting since its formation.
The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has failed to get the desired results despite extensions in the deadline, making payments to contractors and importing metro buses.
According to documents, so far a total of Rs. 4.247 billion has been paid to the contractor of Package-I, starting from Flashman Hotel to Committee Chowk underpass, Rs. 2.77 billion to contractor NLC of Package-II, starting from Committee to Sixth Road, Rs. 3.26 billion to contractor Ms Reliable of Package-III, starting from Sixth Road to Faizabad. Similarly, a total of Rs. 3.26 billion payment has been made to contractor Ms Habib Construction of Islamabad-I, starting from IJP Road to Peshawar Mor, Rs. 3.27 billion to contractor of Package-II Peshawar Mor, Rs 3.72 billion to contractor Maqbool Construction of Package-III, starting from Peshawar Mor to Centaurus Mall and a total of Rs. 2.18 billion have been paid to contractor Ms ZKB of Islamabad Package-IV, starting from Centaurus Mall to Shaheed-e-Millat Road.
Almost 80 per cent of the work on the project has been completed so far but lack of monitoring and coordination has contributed to unnecessary delays.
RDA spokesperson claimed that work on the Rawalpindi side of the project was going at a fast pace and it will be completed on time. He said that 61 metro buses have reached the Islamabad depot while seven more buses will soon be added to the fleet.
Landslide kills two labourers at Metro Bus Project in Capital
Two labourers associated with the Metro Bus Project were killed while several others were injured in landslide on Wednesday.
Rescue sources said that the labourers were busy digging at the Metro Bus site near Peshawar Mor when a big landmass fell over them, burying them alive. As a result, two labourers, identified, as Sohail and Abdul Waheed, who were from district Mardan of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), died on the spot while several others sustained injuries.
The bodies and injured were retrieved and shifted to Pakistan Institute of Pakistan Sciences (PIMS) Hospital for medico-legal formalities.
It should be mentioned that with latest deaths the total death toll linked to the Metro Bus Project has climbed to nine, while scores have been injured.
