RAWALPINDI, July 23: The newly-appointed project-director of Rs5.14 billion Rawalpindi Environment Improvement Project (REIP) Aslam Ali Sabzwari on Wednesday directed the contractors to expedite work on the project by using more manpower and increasing resources.

He was holding a meeting with consultants and contractors after taking over the charge.

He held both the contractors and the executors responsible for the delay in completion of the project.

Mr Sabzwari took over the charge of the project after the Punjab government fired his predecessor Brig (retired) Shah Rukh Lodhi.

He said that only four per cent progress had been made on installation of sewerage lines in Eastern part of Murree Road and Nikki Leh during the last nine months.

Mr Sabzwari said dug up roads in various parts of the city had not only made the lives of the residents miserable but was hindering traffic.“We would strictly implement Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for safeguarding the environmental issues and ensure minimum inconvenience to general public,” the new project director added.

He instructed that all duly pre-qualified contracting firms should submit their work plan and appoint project-manager and site engineer for the

proper quality control and effective coordination with consultants so that work should be executed in a planned and organized way.

Mr Sabzwari said that the Punjab government and Asian Development Bank (ADB) were taking keen interest in implementing the project in true spirit saying that local MNAs, MPAs and community members would be involved in the execution of the project.