Islamabad Metro bus to come on road by Jan end
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RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government will not wait for the completion of Kashmir Highway interchange and open the metro bus service by the end of January.
Apparently disturbed by the criticism of political parties as well as road users, the government wants to start the service within the stipulated time.
Opposition parties, especially Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), said the government had launched the project to gain political mileage.
At the start of the project, the government increased the cost by Rs6.17 billion to Rs44.21 billion, which will be spent on Peshawar Mor Interchange.
However, the pace of work by the National Logistic Cell (NLC) on the Peshawar Mor interchange and 9th Avenue remained slow.
A senior official of Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) told Dawn that the provincial government had ignored completion of Peshawar Mor Interchange and Parade Avenue.
“NLC’s slow pace of work at Peshawar Mor Interchange will further delay the project and it was likely to be completed in May or June,” he said, adding that work on Parade Avenue will continue till March end.
Commissioner Rawalpindi and Metro Bus Project Director Zahid Saeed told Dawn that the government had set March 23 deadline for completion of Peshawar Mor Interchange and January 25 for the metro bus route.
“The NLC had been given two more months to complete the project. The corridor for metro bus service is likely to be completed by Jan 25,” he said.
“Peshawar Mor Interchange is already a separate component of the project as it will provide signal-free roads for Kashmir Highway users, and for this purpose the federal government is spending Rs6.17 billion. Four underpasses will provide free way to metro bus from Rawalpindi to Pakistan Secretariat,” he said.
The metro bus project monitoring and implementation committee chairman, Hanif Abbasi, told Dawn that the government was determined to start the bus service by the given deadline to provide travelling facilities to the citizens of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
“Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif want to start the service within the set deadline,” he said.
He said the metro bus service would be inaugurated by the prime minister and the chief minister on January 30.
Mr Abbasi said people were also facing problems due to the construction work.
Published in Dawn December 6th , 2014
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Comments (59) Closed
Dec 06, 2014 08:56am
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government will not wait for the completion of Kashmir Highway interchange and open the metro bus service by the end of January.
Why only one city of Pakistan, when city of Karachi is in dire need of a good transportation.
Is Nawaz Shariff is the Premier of one city or the Pakistan?
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Dec 06, 2014 10:13am
Because the full commission is only payable once the service starts...end jan!
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Dec 06, 2014 10:34am
Wow. What a great achievement by our supreme PM and CM. they only see 1 thing when there are so much important matters demanding serious attention. Their mind doesn't go anyway near to see many other things than just Metro or motor way. So what is the difference b/w our PM and Malik riyaz.?
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Dec 06, 2014 10:44am
Who waits for completion of project! Let the commission come first.
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Dec 06, 2014 11:04am
Metro bus , motor way, yellow cabs is all this country needs to prosper.
Who cares about the 20 hours power shortages, children dying of hunger in thar, no oxygen in paeds wards in sargodha? Young graduates burning themselves due to joblessness?
-Go nawaz go-
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Dec 06, 2014 11:04am
@ Abdul, it is provincial governments responsibility to spend their own budget. PPP and MQM are in government in Sindh, and you cant expect much from them. You get whoever you vote for in pakistan. Each party has its own potential
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Dec 06, 2014 11:48am
I am glad to see something happening after complete stagnation of last government. Metro bus will become a great project when KPK does it, right?
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Dec 06, 2014 11:54am
@Hasan Please do not exaggerate. I dont know which city you belong to, but I have seen urban Lahorites complaining about infrastructure development all the time, yet they deem it as necessity as well. Traffic jams drain all the energy before one enters into job place. Lahore is a city of 10 million. Rwp/Isb are two major cities as well.
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Dec 06, 2014 11:57am
case in points, metro bus could have plied the regular road, and no need of high overhead bridge.
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Dec 06, 2014 12:10pm
Western countries are not leading the world because they built metro buses or big buildings or big tanks. They lead because the govt uses taxes to provide services to all their citizens with excellent health, education and easy living. In Pakistan they provide a useless metro bus while people do not have any other basic services. How much money did the Shareef's make on this project?
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Dec 06, 2014 12:26pm
Another attempt to keep their credibility but this won't work
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Dec 06, 2014 12:50pm
An Azaaab for us Islamabadi people.
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Dec 06, 2014 01:02pm
@Abdul Rehman, U.S.A.
Have u heard of the 18th Amendment ? Lay your blame on Sind Govt.
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Dec 06, 2014 01:07pm
I would respect PMLN more if they simply left showing integrity that elections were rigged and they are not the elected government. Half baked projects such as metro would only act to remind people of this corrupt government when they are finally gone.
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Dec 06, 2014 01:17pm
@Abdul Rehman, U.S.A. It's provincial government's project - not the federal government's. The Sindh government is suffering from traditional mismanagement, massive corruption, and inaction. These idiot PPP leaders spend more time and energies on brinkmanship (to keep their grip of Sindh) rather than doing service to people.
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Dec 06, 2014 01:22pm
@Irfan What other things you are talking about?. Transport is the single most important issue in any society. If you spend half day and get exhausted for going from one place to another in the same city, your day is over without any productivity. Pakistanis are wasting their energies and time on struggling to get to their offices, schools, and business. Only idiots have pain from such useful projects.
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Dec 06, 2014 01:25pm
@Laddoo What is the use of hospitals if the patient dies on his way to the hospital. Efficient transportation system is the basic requirement to every other activity.
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Dec 06, 2014 02:15pm
Have they provided ventilators in the hospitals where newborns are dying every day, oh I forgot they do not care, it is not the priority, they are poor people so what if neonatal and maternal mortality rates are on the rise, do not acknowledge the problem and the problem is not there- ruling party mantra. Human life is cheap, no clean drinking water, preventable and infectious diseases on the rise, under weight mothers and babies, no education etc but we have roads and metro buses- way to go. Wow.
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Dec 06, 2014 02:20pm
Come on guys...political difference doesn't mean that you criticise every positive aspsct of any development project this govt is doing. Be open heart and rational. Of course there are -ve & +ve aspects of any development project and same witht this project. Please grow up and accept political and management/administration style of other people who differ with PTI/IK.
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Dec 06, 2014 02:31pm
Just public buses were needed, no need for Metro bus. It is obviously started to get more commission and kickbacks. Costliest metro bus in the world(it is actually BRTS) no such thing as a metro bus, metro is always referred to a train service. Also Islamabad is destroyed of its green belts and trees in a large area, 9th avenue and the Jinnah avenue. Rulers have lot of hindsight and no far sight.
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Dec 06, 2014 02:34pm
Do anyone care about people of Thar?
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Dec 06, 2014 02:36pm
Wowww the buses look fab. Congrats to all Pakistanis. Connectivity and better commutation are key for development.
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Dec 06, 2014 02:48pm
@Laddoo Thats not true at all. Please refer to the rise of the US which was made possible by railroads. First comes industry and infrastructure and then comes the softer development. The US didn't even have public fire departments until the 1900s! Happened in Europe in the 1700s (the first industrial revolution), in US in the 1800s-early 1900s (the second industrial revolution) and China in the 1960s and 70s. Rich countries have resources to provide "easy living" to their citizens. Pakistan needs to get rich first.
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Dec 06, 2014 03:19pm
@Zeeshan Shamsi I guess you are not from RWP. Only then you can make such comment .
My friend how could it have plied on Murree rd. Moreover in next ten yrs twin citu.s transport wud increase by 40 % . It is not a progroject for 6 months. I think we should apreciate the good step.t
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Dec 06, 2014 03:24pm
@Abdul Rehman, U.S.A. : Islamabad is the engine of our development train and all stations are to be served, when the train is complete.
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Dec 06, 2014 03:47pm
50 billions for metro in twin cities while health care, water and sanitation, and education is in shambles all over the country.... what a wise choice of priorities!
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Dec 06, 2014 04:20pm
I spend 7 years in twins cities. I appreciate this project although I personally don't like PML N. Europe and rest of the develop world did such projects some decades ago although development comes through improvement of social society.
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Dec 06, 2014 04:35pm
@Abdul Rehman, U.S.A.
isb /rwp is not outside pak .....
when we see thde type of projects in other country we said wow what a gr8 prjct .....whn smebody is mkng in our cuntry for students and daily workers ....we are blaming for no valid reason ........sme one is sayng why only lahore ......thn why rwp ....thn why fsd ,multan.......we neeed good local transport and i thnk ts is the start
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Dec 06, 2014 04:56pm
@Laddoo. You are right. I live in New Zealand. The government here provides excellent infrastructure like roads, water, electricity. Free hospital treatment for the citizens. New Zealand is not a rich country, but everyone pays taxes and the government uses that money to invest on the infrastructure. Pakistan's government needs to look at models like the New Zealand or even developed countries in Asia to see how they can also do the same.
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Dec 06, 2014 05:21pm
I keep reading that due to Metro bus project, health and education would suffer. One question, Metro does not exist in Sind, Baloachistan and KPK, are the health and education services ideal in these provinces. Anyone who does not like Metro should be forced to travel in highly impressive CHINGCHI rickshaws of Karachi.
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Dec 06, 2014 06:02pm
@Abdul Rehman, U.S.A. Punjab government too is spending money on this project as it also benefits the people of Rawalpindi as well. No-one has stopped Sindh Government from launching a mass transit project in KHI. JICA has been begging them for years to launch an inter-city train service. Why blame the PML-N for someone else's laxity?
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Dec 06, 2014 06:04pm
@karachiwala Really - If you know so much why dont you approach the supreme court and furnish whatever you have in support of your ludicrous claims. Sitting behind your computer and accusing just makes you a PTI supporter (and a whiner)
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Dec 06, 2014 06:06pm
@Ali So you mean to say that till Thar becomes Paris all other developmental activities should come to a halt? How old are you?
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Dec 06, 2014 06:09pm
Please PML N stop..Otherwise Imran Khan will surely destroy Pakistan.His dharna increases the more you perform.
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Dec 06, 2014 06:29pm
I remember my father traveling in those horrible wagons and buses in a disrespectful way ....I admire pmln for giving ppl dignified means of commute.
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Dec 06, 2014 06:51pm
For ignorant PIT supporters, who takes every word from IK as gospel, some facts
1) London subway project started operations 1863 and the first proposal came up 1830s
2) New York subway started operations 1868
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Dec 06, 2014 06:59pm
Im not a supporter of PLMN and don't think that metrobus should have been given the top priority but it's better to have something than nothing. Also, I don't think so building and enhancing road infrastructure should be condemned as can be seen in comments. PTI is managing the KPK affairs quite well such as in policing, curbing corruption and other commendable jobs. But in terms of building infrastructure, please englighten me..!!!!
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Dec 06, 2014 07:12pm
This entire project like most things in Pakistan is a shamble and a momentous circus. Its heading to be a big white elephant !
Traveling from Pindi to Islamabad via Murrey Road or going around the airport, has always been grossly chaotic, as there never was any traffic management in existence.
We definitely did not need public money to be wasted here, if we were to excel with the rest of the world in technology and transport, a greater option would have been an underground system.
what we are going to have now is to endure an ugly eye sore for both these cities to marvel at. Hats off to the think tanks involved. Perhaps now the vip convoys can travel a lot faster ! Bon voyage
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Dec 06, 2014 07:53pm
Let the critics do the job they are best at. Wish PMLN speedy delivery of all their projects and plans that could lead Pakistan to be a better country
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Dec 06, 2014 08:16pm
@Abdul Rehman, U.S.A. We're you asleep when the 18th amendment was passed ?
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Dec 06, 2014 08:23pm
Has anyone tried to find out who are the suppliers of cement and steel for these Metro Bus projects in Lahore and now in Pindi/Islamabad? And has anyone made a comparison of costs of the buses imported from Turkey with costs of similar buses from other countries? Or even with locally made buses which surely we could manufacture?
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Dec 06, 2014 08:40pm
good work PML(N) ... lets have similar transport systems in Karachi, Multan, Hyderabad, Peshawar and Quetta too ..
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Dec 06, 2014 09:26pm
@Rahat Naseem I agree with you, it was my oversight.
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Dec 06, 2014 09:27pm
@Malveros I agree.
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Dec 06, 2014 09:44pm
Newborns die in Thar from malnutrition, innocents die from senseless violence in Karachi, the whole country swelters under loadshedding and gas shortages and our dear old PM is fixated on investing in self serving projects in Punjab.
Wah PM Sahib!
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Dec 06, 2014 10:41pm
@Confused One way to get rich if there is no oil in the ground is to collect taxes. In Pakistan only 10% people pay taxes and those too who do office jobs and get their taxes deducted. How many MNA/MPA pay taxes?
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Dec 06, 2014 10:59pm
People cried when the motorway was being built as well but now everyone uses it. Disagreement with a party does not mean we become illogical and irrational.
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Dec 06, 2014 11:20pm
Problems faced by Pakistan for decades; no health and education, gender bias and inequality and the subsequent issues taking birth from it, no clean drinking water, neonatal and mortality rate on the rise, lack of basic amenities, security issues, list is endless but no money to spend on even one or two of these problems.
My only question is that by having this infrastructure are we going to be listed in the developed countries, I doubt it, development does not mean having roads and bridges, it means having a healthy educated population which in turn can take the country towards development. Wish for once these leaders come out of their selfish mode and think of the masses.
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Dec 06, 2014 11:36pm
Let's wait and see.
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Dec 06, 2014 11:36pm
i think pti hard cores should not use the metro bus. follow your leaders civil disobedience. That would teach pml-n.
majority of residents of twin cities are in dire need of public transportation. so well done to the government for at least realizing the urgency.
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Dec 06, 2014 11:37pm
@Abdul Rehman, U.S.A. .seems u r ignorant or have no access to pak media..federal Govt have already allocated huge amount of money for karachi green line metro bus service.
Check last 10 days newspapers.
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Dec 07, 2014 12:17am
hahahahahahaha I better make reservations.
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Dec 07, 2014 12:44am
@Abdul Rehman, U.S.A. did you even read the article, this article talks about KPK and Kashmir too.
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Dec 07, 2014 12:47am
@Laddoo you are totally out of touch with the poor people, who love the metro bus system. Go eat a laddo, and speak on matters that you are knowledgeable on.
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Dec 07, 2014 02:08am
our PM and CM are in unison .... working in tandem to fulfill their child hood dream to become civil engineers.
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Dec 07, 2014 02:16am
@Amir atleast appreciate something which is good , there are alot of benefits of this metro 1 an excellent means of travelling for common people 2 the traffic will decrease on roads 3 it is a master plan fr next 40 to 50 years and the last thing is that the developed countries have always developed their cities with master plans not like us
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Dec 07, 2014 02:20am
I got Laptop from shahbaz sharif but will vote for imran khan inshallah. Because sharifs don,t know what are our priorities.
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Dec 07, 2014 09:39am
@Laddoo You have a Laddoo in your head too. Problem with us is we call ourselves educated since we have FA, BA or MA degree but we actually we are not educated in real senses. Because we have been doing "Ratta" (mugging) throughout our educational life, learn Newton laws by heart and never understand what he actually meant, where do they actually apply. We never understood knowledge. Read some Economics and you will know what does these metro buses, roads and bridges do to a country. Sigh... its so disappointing to see some comments here. ppl complaining Why we are going to have a good infra structure? like Really? As a nation, you all deserve leaders like IK and Zardaris ,either idiots or corrupt.
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Dec 07, 2014 11:30am
yesterday i traveled on the roads of Rawalpindi and i was amaze that in how tragic condition these roads are, i think it was better to first renovate the existing roads rather than spending billions on Bus project....
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