The frequent technical and procedural changes to Peshawar’s bus rapid transit (BRT) project are expected to cause a delay in the project beyond its March 23 deadline.
The project which was earlier set for launch for May 2018, was delayed by 11 months. Due to unanticipated hurdles, work on the project has been delayed at six locations. There has also been a price escalation from RS49 to RS69 billion.
According to the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA), the execution of the project by the proposed deadline is reliant on the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) and Pakistan Railways, for they had to lay a new transmission line on Sunehri Masjid road AND issue a no objection certificate (NOC) for the installation of girders to complete the track over Cantonment railway station.
Talking to a private media outlet, BRT officials said that work on the Sunehri Masjid BRT Track cannot continue until WAPDA shifts the existing power cables to another location.
They added that a payment was made to Pak Railways two months ago for land acquisition and a NOC request was lodged, however, no action has yet been taken.
On the other hand, Engineer Shah Nawaz, the Pakistan Railways focal person for BRT project, said that PDA has not submitted a girder launching plan and safety certificate to the authority.
Another significant development is that PDA has forfeited its plan to install concrete girders for building a 1.7 kilometres elevated track from the Lady Reading Hospital to the cantonment railway station for pedestrians after the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the financer, found the structure unstable.