CM Khattak directs officials concerned to expedite work on BRT project

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister (CM) Pervez Khattak on Thursday announced to inaugurate the construction and implementation work of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Peshawar on October 19. Earlier, a decision was finalised to inaugurate the project on October 20, which was later revised through consultations with the persons concerned.

The CM directed all the officials concerned to strictly follow the timeline fixed for the completion of the project. He said that the quality of work should be ensured without wastage of time and resources, while adding that the project should be completed within the next six months.

Pervez Khattak said this while presiding over a meeting in connection with the construction and implementation phase of the BRT, the level of preparedness for the project, the traffic diversion plan, the upgradation of diversion roads and the possible hurdles that might arise in the process.

The meeting was attended by Advisor to CM on Transport Malik Shah Muhammad, Member Provincial Assembly Shaukat Yousafzai, administrative secretaries, Peshawar commissioner and Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) director general (DG). On the occasion, the CM directed the officials concerned to remove all obstructions to ensure that the BRT project was finished per schedule. The officials working on the project were given different tasks and warned to adopt an active attitude towards the project, or else face disciplinary action from their respective departments.

Meanwhile, Khattak also presided over another meeting that focused on the different reaches of the BRT, the upgradation of seven feeding routes and the overall sketch of the construction work of the project.

The second meeting was attended by the Advisor to CM on Transport Malik Shah Muhammad, Peshawar Commissioner Fakhre Alam, Special Security Unit Head Sahibzada Saeed, PDA DG, and representatives of the Asian Development Bank. The meeting finalised the plan for the vehicular traffic that would enter the main corridor of BRT. It also decided to construct an elevated station at Karkhano market, while also settling the financial, technical and administrative packages for the project.

The chief minister also directed the officials concerned to upgrade the feeding roads and deliver plans for integrating the whole Peshawar region through the BRT. He also requested the officials concerned to acquire additional land for the project and to compensate all people affected by the project at the earliest.