FAISALABAD, Nov 3: People face problems because of a delay in completion of projects like the General Bus Stand, Clock Tower intersection, Jhang and Montgomery Bazaars.

The National Logistics Corporation (NLC), the contractor of the schemes, halted the work after the city government failed to clear the dues.

Nearly 50,000 commuters use the Faisalabad bus stand everyday. The Montgomery bazaar is home to Asia's biggest yarn market while Jhang bazaar is also a populace marketplace for fruit, vegetable.

These projects are part of the Faisalabad Road Rehabilitation Project (FRRP) phase III for which the city district government has engaged the NLC as the executing agency.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif assigned the NLC the construction of different roads of the district in 1997. The previous government did not change the policy and let the NLC complete the project.

Aamir Sohail, a garment dealer in Jhang Bazaar, told Dawn owing to dust customers were reluctant to visit the bazaar.

Sources said City District Nazim Rana Asif Tauseef convened a meeting a couple of days ago to discuss the issue with the officials.

Sources privy to the meeting said the district nazim had expressed his grave concern over the suspension of work on the bus stand, road around Clock Tower and Jhang and Montgomery Bazaars.

He said owing to “petty” issues between the city district government and the NLC the completion work of these projects had been delayed. The nazim was informed the NLC was also reluctant to provide streetlights at the bus stand, though the cell was bound to extend the facility.

A project manager of the NLC apprised the participants that the cell was not in a position to continue construction work because no decision had been made by the government to resolve the issue of a 12.5 per cent increase in scheduled rates.

The district nazim has asked the district coordination officer and the executive district officer (finance and planning) to pursue the matter vigilantly to get the issue resolved. He also said that financial losses caused to the district government due to unreasonable delay would also be fixed.

An NLC officer wished not to be named said construction works would be started soon as the government had promised a solution to the problem.

He said the district government was responsible for a delay in the completion of the FRRP.