RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) on Saturday decided to stop payments to a contractor for slow work on the plugging of seepages in the metro bus stations between Peshawar Mor and Centaurus Mall.

The decision was taken at a meeting held at the commissioner office with Commissioner Zahid Saeed in the chair. Metro Bus Project Monitoring Committee Chairman Hanif Abbasi, contractors and Nespak officials were also present.

The meeting was informed that the contractor of Package-III in Islamabad had failed to plug the leakages at the bus stations of the district courts and Pims despite repeated directives.

Upon this, the commissioner decided to stop payments to the contractor and said a new contractor would be hired to fix the problems. The new contractor would be paid from the outstanding amount of the old contractor, he added.

The meeting was informed that Rs2 million would be spent on the replacement of marble flooring of the stairs and the payment would be deducted from the outstanding amount of the contractor.

During the meeting, the issue of water seepages in and around the bus rotary at Pakistan Secretariat and the underpasses was also discussed.

The commissioner told Dawn that seepages had become a problem, especially at Pakistan Secretariat. He said the RDA consulted Nespak to resolve the issue and the latter gave some suggestions which would be implemented within a month. He said the contractor replaced the main water supply lines, sewers and constructed drains but the underground water was causing seepages.

About stoppage of payment to the contractor, the commissioner said slow pace of work had forced the RDA to take the decision. He said for the last three months, the contractor had been advised to fix the faulty work but to no avail.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2015

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