January 26, 2007	Friday	Muharram 06, 1428

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

ISLAMABAD, Jan 25: The Minister of State for Interior Zafar Iqbal Warraich on Thursday gave inaccurate details to the Senate about three underpasses being built on Jinnah Avenue (Blue Area).

Replying to a written question by Senator Professor Khurshid Ahmed the minister said there was a proposal to construct a flyover at Kalsoom Plaza instead of an underpass, but it was rejected by the authorities concerned as there was no provision in the master plan of Islamabad to construct flyover there

He said underpass was more useful than flyover. The minister said estimated cost of the proposed flyover was Rs323 million.

He said the cost of underpass being constructed at Kalsoom plaza was Rs224.04 million and an amount of Rs250 million have been spent on it. The minister had no answer when the questioner said why this over-spending had been done on the project.

The minister again gave inaccurate figure of total amount to be spent on three underpasses proposed on Jinnah Avenue. He said the cost of one underpass which is being built at Kalsoom Plaza was Rs224.04 million and all the three will be constructed at Rs400 million.

However, according to the contract of Kalsoom Plaza underpass awarded to the firms Matracon and Gammon, its total cost is over Rs500 million and the CDA has awarded the contract of China Chowk underpass this week at Rs660 million and the contract of third one to be built at Faisal Chowk has again been awarded to Matracon with an estimated cost of Rs920 million. Therefore the cost of all the three underpasses at Jinnah Avenue is over Rs2 billion.

Later, senators from the opposition benches raised different question which could not be replied by the minister of state and the end of the question hour announced by Chairman Muhammadmian Soomro proved to be a sigh of relief for the state minister.

A source in the CDA told Dawn that the proposal to construct flyover at Kalsoom Plaza was dropped just to ensure a clear view of the presidency.

The CDA has borne an expenditure of Rs250m million only on removing underground services at Kalsoom Plaza Chowk and this amount could be saved if the flyover would have been constructed there instead of the underpass.