News Details

13/10/2017

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak has revealed to inaugurate the construction and implementation work of the bus rapid transit Peshawar on 19th of the current month.

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak has revealed to inaugurate the construction and implementation work of the bus rapid transit Peshawar on 19th of the current month. Earlier, he was to inaugurate it on 20th October but now he will inaugurate it a day earlier. He directed all the concerned to strictly follow the time line fixed for different working packages. The quality of work should be ensured without wastage of time. The project should be complete within six months, he added. He was presiding over a meeting on the launching of construction and implementation phase of the Bus Rapid Transit, the level of preparedness for the project, the traffic diversion plan, the upgradation of diversion roads and the possible irritants also came up for discussion during the meeting. The meeting was attended by Advisor to Chief Minister on Transport Malik Shah Muhammad, MPA Shaukat Yousafzai, administrative secretaries, Commissioner Peshawar and DG PDA. Chief Minister directed to remove all the irritants and obstructions in the bus rapid transit project. The concerned officials engaged in the project were given different tasks and warned against any lethargy in the process of the project. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister presided over another meeting that focused on different reaches of the bus rapid transit, the upgradation of seven feeding routes and the overall sketch of the construction work of the bus rapid transit project. The meeting was attended by Advisor on Transport, Shah Muhammad, Commissioner Peshawar Fakhre Alam, Head of SSU Sahibzada Saeed, DG PDA, representatives of the Asian Development Bank that decided the plan for the mixed vehicular traffic entering the route of the main corridor of rapid bus transit. It also decided elevated station at Karkhano Market for the project. It also settled the financial, technical and administrative packages for the project. The Chief Minister directed to work on emergency basis with focus on quality construction work and without any delay, he added. He directed to upgrade the feeding roads and also start working on the future connectivity and needs and requirements of integrating the whole Peshawar region to the bus rapid transit under the definite aim that Peshawar should have one comprehensive and integrated solution to all traffic related issues. He reminded that participants that he had one vision for integrating the whole Peshawar for incoming and outgoing traffic with one solution, he added. He also directed for additional land acquisition and plan to compensate all, affected by the bus rapid transit project. He also directed to rehabilitate different roads and upgrade pedastarianization under the project. He also directed to issue notices to FWO for the delayed response on the completion of shifting and relocating of utilities. He agreed to the proposal that PDA would establish its own fuel storage. The supply of buses would be complete towards the end of April because the project would be completed within a record period of six months and so would be the procurement activities. He asked to contact him if any irritant emerged in the implementation phase of the project. The first batch of the buses would start reaching and operating when the corridor of the project is ready. He directed proper implementation on the decisions and the directives he issued in this regard. However, he asked the concerned quarters to coordinate for the supply of buses in Peshawar under the already decided procurement schedule. He directed to select a proper place at Chamkani for the inaugural ceremony of the project to mark the inauguration of practical work on the project. However, he directed to select 8 sites for the inauguration of the project at different areas off the corridor where the Advisor to CM on Transport and other MPAs and elected people would inaugurate separately. Earlier, in a presentation on the bus rapid transit at Chief Minister House Peshawar, Chief Minister directed for the finalization of all prerequisites required for the smooth construction work and timely completion of Bus Rapid Transit Peshawar. The presentation focused on various time lines for the construction and completion of Bus Rapid Transit, its technical and financial evaluation, risk mitigation, shifting and relocation of utilities, the release of resources, the award of contract to various contractors who qualified for the three packages under the project at Chief Minister Secretariat Peshawar. It also discussed the traffic diversion plan, the variation and additional stops and flyovers, the time lines for the construction of buildings, the legal requirements, the responsibilities of different executing agencies, the pavement of additional feeding routes etc. The Chief Minister addressing the participants said that the design both financial and operational should be complete in all respect. The practical work on the project would take off on the 19th of this month and directed that all details, required for the project should be finalized immediately. He asked the relevant quarters to simultaneously start work on different parts of the project that included sensitization of the executing agencies, the coordination among different departments for the timely launch and completion under the time lines. He also agreed to the phasing out of buses and directed to complete the required level of construction in main terminal Chamkani, Hayatabad and Dabgari Garden. He also directed to start work on the bus stops once the launching of the project is done. The Chief Minister said his government would not allow the wastage of time in the implementation process so that there was no cost escalation and the project was completed under the allocated six months period. The qualified contractors needed to be quick as the technical evaluation of the project has been done, he added. He said the situation was ideal because of the transparency taken care of in the whole process. He directed against any obstructions in the project and reminded that ADB has already taken the responsibility for the qualification of contractors (both technical and financial) to complete the project in time. He agreed to the bridge financing adding that the government has already released the required financial support for the project. He said he had already directed to issue work orders so that the mobilization could take place within 15 days. Pervez Khattak reminded the participants that there should be no excuse from any government functionary in the discharge of his part of the duty. We have wasted a lot of time and now there was no space for any delay adding that it was multi billion project, he added. He said if anybody was found lethargic or performing below average in the project, he would be taken to task. Everybody should perform up-to the mark in the discharge of his part of the whole responsibilities. He would not listen to any excuse, any obstacle and any hurdle. We cannot afford a moment delay in the project, he added. Chief Minister directed that different packages of the project, should have different phases supported by progress schedule with fix time completion under the design, he added. He hoped that all government functionaries deputed to the project would constantly monitor the whole implementation process of the bus rapid transit project in order to complete this dream project within a record six months period. =====