ISLAMABAD: The slow flow of cash and a delay in removal of utility services coupled with CDA’s lethargy delayed the completion of Khana Interchange on Islamabad Highway.

The project, which has already passed the completion deadline of June, may take three more months for completion, sources in the civic agency said.

The interchange is part of the first two phases of widening of Islamabad Highway from Zero Point to Koral Chowk. In the two phases, the CDA has completed widening of the highway form Zero Point to Koral.

However, as part of the first two phases, CDA was supposed to construct two interchanges - at Sohan and Khana - worth Rs2 billion. The CDA has already completed Sohan Interchange and finished about 75pc work at Khana.

“Because of the delay in the removal of utility services lines and somehow slow flow of funds you can say the project faced a little delay. But now these issues are going to be resolved in coming days,” said CDA spokesperson Malik Saleem.

He, however, said it was always difficult for completing a project aimed running traffic within the stipulated time. “We don’t want to get this project completed in a hurry as we can’t compromise on quality,” he said, adding one line of the interchange had already been opened for traffic.

The first two phases of the project were financed by the CDA. However, for the phase third and fourth, in which the CDA will be widening the road from Koral to Rawat, the federal government has promised Rs10.7 billion and allocated Rs7 billion in the current fiscal year. The remaining amount will be set aside in the next fiscal year.

Sources in the CDA said as massive transfers and postings were expected in the civic agency by the upcoming government, the top management in the CDA was not taking any serious interest in the project.

The sources said if proper attention was paid, the Khana Interchange could have been completed several months ago. They said the contractor’s Rs200 million were pending towards the CDA due to which he had slowed down the pace of work.

The project to widen the highway was inaugurated in July 2015 by the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif. Under the original PC-1, the highway was to be widened to five lanes from Zero Point to GT Road in Rawat in one go. But a few months after the inauguration, the civic agency changed the PC-I and decided to execute the project in four phases.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2018