Imran inaugurates metro bus project in Peshawar
This is the best metro bus project in Pakistan. Our programmes should give priority to improve the lives of the common man. Everyone can afford the ticket which ranges from Rs10 to Rs50: Imran
Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated the muchdelayed Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, commonly known as metro bus, on Thursday.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony, he said that this was the best metro bus project in Pakistan.
“This will have an impact in Peshawar because the city has one main artery that stretches from GT Road to Hayatabad, which chokes when under pressure, resulting in people stuck up in traffic for hours which causes pollution and petrol wastage.”
Imran said that the main artery was 27km long while the feeder routes were 60km. “This means that all of city will be connected,” he said, adding that it was a modern transport system covering Peshawar in its entirety.
The prime minister also admited to having “reservations” about the project. “I want to say I had reservations about the project. Today, I want to pay tribute to Pervez Khatak because he always said that you will realise the importance of this project once it is completed. So all I want to say is that Khatak was right and we turned out to be wrong.”
Imran said that the ticket prices for the Peshawar BRT were “just right.”
“Our programmes should give priority to improving the lives of the common man. Everyone can afford the ticket which ranges from Rs10 to Rs50. There are also tickets for students to make travelling easier for them and hospitals have been connected so people will no longer face difficulties in this regard.”
He added that the project will eventually increase the per capita income in Peshawar and bring prosperity. “When you have a good transport system, it brings change.”
The project, built at a cost of Rs70 billion, is a 27.5 kilometre-long corridor track with 31 stations and seven feeder routes stretching 62km with 146 stops to facilitate thousands of passengers every day.
Shortly ater the inauguration, the premier, who was accompanied by Defence Minister Pervez Khatak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and other government officials, was given a briefing on the functioning of the project.
Work on the bus project was launched in October 2017 with the then chief minister, Khatak, and a deadline of six months for its completion at a cost of Rs49 billion.
However, frequent design changes and retrofiting caused the project to miss the first deadline and also increased its cost by Rs17 billion to a staggering Rs66.43 billion.
Thereater, the project managers changed the launch dates multiple times. However, the project was still not launched due to a myriad of issues.
Meanwhile, a National Accountability Bureau probe ordered by the Peshawar High Court (PHC) into alleged corruption in the BRT project was stopped in September 2018 by a Supreme Court bench headed by former chief justice Saqib Nisar.
In December 2019, the high court ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to investigate the alleged corruption. A five-member FIA team formed in line with the court’s judgement had submited its report to the court at the end of January. However, the apex court stopped the probe in February.
Meanwhile, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication, Dr Shahbaz Gill said mega Bus Rapid Transit was a git of PTI government for people of Peshawar that would provide state-of-the art travelling facilities to people.
Addressing a press-conference at Information Cell at Civil Secretariat Peshawar, Gill said despite malicious propaganda of political opponents, BRT has been completed with all modern facilities.
He said propaganda of political opponents died ater completion of BRT and all such propaganda elements were now hiding faces from people.
Gill said human resources development was top most priority of PTI government and establishment of BRT project was aimed at to invest on people by providing them quality and affordable travelling facilities at their doorsteps.
He said BRT, Ehsas Programme and Billion Trees Afforestration projects were launched by PTI government for socio economic development of poor people and combating environmental and climate change challenges.