The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday informed that the New Islamabad Airport Project will not be completed by end of this year due to deficiencies in the PC-1 of the project and cost of work.
Briefing the PAC meeting held under the chairmanship of Syed Khursheed Shah, Director General CAA Air Marshal (r) Asim Suleiman said that the project was to be completed in December 2016, but due to some technical reasons it would be completed in the mid of 2017.
The major reasons of delay in the construction was non-possession of site and eviction of illegal occupants till 2014, frequent changes of projects directors, mismanagement of project as highlighted by different inquires, land issue of supplying water to the airport and inefficiency in tendering of major equipment required for the airport.
He said the project was facing a number of problems regarding road access and water facilities. However, 60 per cent work on the airport project had been completed, while 63 per cent payments had been made, he informed. The DG CAA said that Rs 52 billion had been spent on the project till February 2016.
After the completion of the construction work, minimum period of four to six months would be required for oprationalisation and integration of systems, he added.
Revised PC-I was of Rs 81 billion, but important features including provision of water, electricity and purchase of land were still not including in it, the PAC reprimanded. Two runways had been constructed without any planning, and there was no taxi-path between the runways as per international standard, the PAC chairman observed. Cracks had appeared at the runway due to proximity of the drain, he added.
The PAC chairman said it seemed that cost of the project would exceed Rs 100 billion. The committee annoyed over misleading statements of CAA authorities and observed that the PAC must not be misled.
Khursheed said according to the earlier briefing 85 per cent work on the project had been completed but the CAA was talking about 60 per cent work. Answering to a question on water supply for airport, the DG CAA said there was no water available from Shahpur Dam, therefore the CAA proposed two dams and they were approved in CDWP meeting on March 31, 2015, in two phases.
He said in first phase 282 acres land was acquired on March 11, 2016, for the construction Ramma Dam and in the second phase Kassana Dam would be ensured. The PAC directed the secretary Civil Aviation Authority to give accurate date within one month after carrying out study as to when the new airport would be functional.
The DG CAA said there was no access road to the new airport, adding: “Access road is the responsibility of National Highway Authority.” National Highway Authoirty Chairman Shahid Ashraf Tarar said that road connectivity would be given to the airport at the end of this year. He said it would be 29.3 kilometer road which would cost 16.8 billion rupees.
A representative of the petroleum ministry briefed that CAA applied for four gas connections and out of them two would be given soon. However, the commercial and captive connections could not be granted due to the imposition of ban, he added.
To this, Syed Khursheed Shah directed the secretary to write a letter to the prime minister for issuance of these two connections. It may be mentioned here that the airport project was conceived in 1984 and in 2004 and then prime minister Shaukat Aziz had inaugurated the work on the project. But the construction of the airport was started without the approval of any design, he added.
The PC-I of Rs 37 billion was approved in 2008 but it did not contain the establishment of the fuel system, radar and radio control building, aprons, sewage treatment plants, supply of electricity and water to the airport.
May be if Islamabad Airport is declared as official residency of honorable CAA officials and PAC chairman then hopefully they complete it before the deadline in an attempt to escape from hell to heaven
First of all Peoples Party never delivered anything solid in their tenure and now Syed Khursheed Shah is the chairman of PAC. What a misery. Now why not to account those who said that this airport would be completed by 2016? And before that where are those who said it would be completed in 2015? That reminds the famous indian movie dialog "Tareekh pe tareekh..tareekh pe tareekh"
Nobody is taking notice of this important project. I think media should play its role to highlight the discrepancies and corruption of this project. After all this is our tax money and they should be accountable for that. Give me my tax back or deliver it.
Well said Sulaiman.
Nobody wants to move to new airport, all employees even a sweeper, then they have to travel far away for duties they hardly do. All of them have their homes nearby airports.
I can give a proposal. since the current numbers of employees are at least 3 times than required so employees can do make shift arrangement at their own for duties they have go far away.
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