ISLAMABAD: If the political upheaval in the federal capital was not enough to hinder the progress of the metro bus project, the overcautious officials of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) have started to go by the book and have demanded contractors to complete all formalities prior to the commencing of necessary work.

The contractors have now informed the authorities that completion of the project might get delayed by two months as they would not be able to meet the January 23, 2015 deadline.

“Work first slowed down during Ramazan, then came Eid holidays, and now it has been affected by the political situation. Soon there will be Eidul Azha holidays, putting work on hold for another 20 days,” said one of the project contractors in a letter addressed to the executing agency, Rawalpindi Development Authorities (RDA).

The project contractors also told the civic body chairman that the tightened requirements for formalities and documentations had been enforced since the political crisis deepened.

Officials of the civic body say new rules to be followed in the light of the current political situation

“Work was in coordination earlier as we used to do things in practical terms – but now the CDA has even started taking note of the material dumping sites,” said an engineer at Peshawar Mor Interchange.

He was referring to an objection raised by CDA’s environment wing, asking the contractors to get prior permission regarding the site for mud excavation. The civic body had even demanded the number of truckloads being thrown in a day.

Meanwhile, an official of the environment wing blamed the new development to the volatile situation.

“Previously, we would grant permission to dump mud at the nearest sites and even grant permission after work had started. Sometimes the contractors also damaged the sewerage lines, which were repaired later,” the official said.

“But now we are being cautious, because if the government is changed, inquiries could be launched – we are government employees and we have to be careful,” he added.

Work in Islamabad is also suffering due to shortage of raw material as trucks are not being allowed to enter Islamabad.

“Raw material comes from outside Islamabad and, keeping the security restrictions aside, the truckers are also afraid of entering the federal capital due to the fear of being impounded by the police for road blocks,” said Chaudhry Amir Latif, one of the contractors in Islamabad.

Meanwhile, the metro bus packages in Rawalpindi are also facing delays as the land designated for parade and exhibitions across Kachnar Park was being used to make beams.

“The problem is of moving heavy vehicles along the roads narrowed by blockades,” an RDA official said.

Currently, due to the sit-ins by Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), no work is being executed between Peshawar Mor and Pakistan Secretariat.

Apart from this, since the work has completely stopped there, all metallic sheets and other construction items are under the use of protestors, and contractors have told the RDA that they have suffered serious losses since many items have been misplaced or damaged.

Meanwhile, work between Jinnah Avenue and Pakistan Secretariat was stopped by the army, when the Red Zone was handed over to them on August 11.

Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2014