ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday set the end of March next year as the new deadline for the completion of the New Islamabad International Airport.

He also ordered a high-level inquiry to determine what caused the inordinate delay in meeting its original cut-off date.

Mr Sharif on Thursday flew to the site of the under-construction airport and directed that those who mismanaged the project should be brought to book through a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)-led investigation.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Information Minister Pervaiz Rasheed and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Aviation Shujaat Azeem were also present. The secretary and director general Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) made presentation to the prime minister.

Following the presentation, when the prime minister asked how much time the CAA required to make the airport fully functional, the officials sought two years, an official of the PM office told Dawn.

“Within two years, I can build a brand new airport. You only have to give the finishing touches here. Even then I am allowing you to complete the pending work within one year,” the official quoted the prime minister as saying.

During the briefing, Mr Sharif was informed that 98 per cent of the civil works and hydrant refueling systems and 55 per cent work on the air traffic control had been completed.

When the prime minister was not given a satisfactory response about the delay in the project, he ordered an investigation through the FIA.

He also asked the local police and the civil administration to help the CAA in clearing the area from encroachers.

“I need this airport to be better than any international airport in the region be it Dubai, Doha or another country with the state-of-the-art facilities in its every section,” the prime minister told the CAA administration and officials of other departments.

The prime minister directed the installation of a power plant and construction of small dams to ensure regular electricity and water supply to the airport.

Mr Sharif was informed that the airport would cater to the needs of 15 million passengers in a year.

It will have 15 boarding bridges and will be able to handle 400,000 metric tons of cargo. The prime minister ordered the installation of latest baggage handling system at the airport.

In the last week of January, a special briefing on the new airport was arranged for the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the National Assembly.

The PAC was informed that the groundbreaking of the project was jointly performed in April 2007 by the then president and prime minister.

To be completed within 30 months, initially the cost of the project was estimated to be Rs37 billion.

Later, PC-I of the project was revised in March 2012 at a cost of Rs66 billion.

The PAC was told the CAA had once again revised its expenditures putting them at Rs95 billion and October 2016 was the anticipated completion date of the project.

So far, five directors have overseen the project one after another.

And above all, auditors of the federal government have noted audit observations worth Rs41 billion which the prime minister wanted to be investigated.