ISLAMABAD: After the March 23 deadline passed quietly, the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metro Bus Implementation Committee has given no new date for the launching of the metro bus service.

“It will take at least six to eight weeks to complete all the stations because there are numerous issues faced by the contractors,” said an official of the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA).

He, however, said only I.J. Principal Road-Peshawar Mor section was nearing completion.

The last deadline was given by Hanif Abbasi, the chairman of the implementation committee.

Talking to Dawn on Monday, Mr Abbasi refused to give any fresh date for the completion of the project. He, however, said the project had entered the final phase.

The project is likely to take another six to eight weeks to complete

“We will run the buses on a trial basis from Peshawar Mor to D-Chowk on March 28 and on the same day Jinnah Avenue will be opened for traffic,” he added.

At the moment, not only the stations are incomplete but also there are two major spots in Rawalpindi where the track is being constructed. Besides, the last portion of the project is far from completion.

“This is because the work remained suspended for more than 127 days due to the PTI sit-in and security reasons,” said Ahmed Khan, the contractor of China Chowk-Secretariat section.

Other contractors and even the officers of RDA blamed the project designer, Nespak, for the delays.

“The designs of the bus stations are very complicated compared to the ones in Lahore,” said a RDA official, adding: “All the decisions are taken by Nespak experts in Lahore.”

The official said another reason for the delay was the non-issuance of specification guidelines by Nespak for the imported equipment.

Meanwhile, another contractor of the project said the RDA, the executing agency, lacked the expertise, hence the delay in the completion of Islamabad section of the project.

“Not only the RDA has limited expertise, the problem applies to the workers and labour force too,” said a contractor who had executed major infrastructure works in Lahore.

He was referring to the sub-contractors who were fitting glass sheets, escalators, automatic doors, elevators etc at the stations.

Apart from the stations, the network of underpasses to reach the stations from access roads have yet to be given a finishing touch. Even the basic structure of the underpass to bring passenger to the Peshawar Mor stations has not been completed.

Published in Dawn March 24th, 2015

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