PESHAWAR, Feb 23: The City Development and Municipal Department (CDMD) and Railways authorities have locked horns over the Suri Pul intersection project after work on the project was stopped, officials said.
Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani who inspected the site on Monday in a bid to resolve the dispute, directed both the departments to remove all irritants immediately and complete the project, which had already been delayed due to non-availability of funds.
Railways officials at the divisional superintendent office accused the CDMD staff of starting work on the project without consulting the PR headquarters.The railway officials have demanded that a safety wall for the protection of the railways embankment must be constructed and also payment must be made for the required land according to the market value.
An official said that the CDMD officials were non- cooperative and started work on the scheme without taking permission from the divisional superintendent office.
On the other hand, one senior official of the CDMD told Dawn that the railways officials were making an issue of a non-issue as their claim was absolutely baseless.
He said that the railways engineers had approved the first phase of the project which was completed one and a half years back by the Rail-Cop construction firm.
"They cannot justify their action to stop the CDMD staff from starting work on the project as the department has provided all relevant documents including the NOC to the railways department", the official said.
The government has planned to construct a 500-meter long overhead bridge from Hospital Road to Shabistan Cinema at a cost Rs 200 million. Two bridges on either side of the existing Suri Pull under the railway track had already been completed.
The CDMD, the provincial metropolis's planning agency, has requested the railways headquarters to allot some 20 kanals for the construction of the overhead bridge. But the railways authorities have yet to entertain the request.
On Saturday last, the CDMD staff started work on the site without getting permission from the railways officials that led to the dispute. The railways police detained few workers of the CDMD and stopped work on the site.
When officials of the railways department were approached, they claimed, the CDMD had neither produced the NOC nor made arrangements for the protection of the huge embankment along the railway line.
