LAHORE: Underlining the need for giving priority to the safety of labour and officials of different utility services working on Lahore Orange Line Metro Train Project, steering committee chairman Khwaja Ahmad Hassaan ordered provision of safety gear to the workers by the contractors.

Chairing the weekly progress review meeting here on Wednesday, he sought a detailed report from the project directors concerned in this regard.

“No compromise can be made on human lives in the name of speedy execution of the work,” he said.

He directed the Safe City Authority officials to form different teams of the department and ensure their close coordination with one another. Roads dug for laying cable for security cameras and other purposes must be repaired at the earliest to avoid public inconvenience, he said.

Mr Hassaan ordered a constitution of a task force comprising officials of the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) and Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC), to ensure round-the-clock cleanliness of areas around Haji Camp, Nichleson Road, to facilitate pilgrims.

He told the meeting about the government’s decision to construct new office building for Shalimar Town in China Scheme, Gujjar Pura, as the old building situated on the GT Road had been acquired for the metro train project.

The meeting was told that so far 72 per cent of the civil work on Orange Line project had been completed. Progress on Package-I from Dera Gujjaran to Chauburji was 85.7pc, on Package-II from Choburji to Ali Town it was 53pc, on Depot near Dera Gujran 77pc, while on Stabling Yard near Ali Town it was 73.5pc.

The meeting was told that grey structure of all the 11 elevated stations along Package-I and five stations along Package-II of the project had been handed over to NORINCO for electro-mechanical works. The grey structure of another five stations would be handed over to the contractor by the end of current month, while the remaining three stations will be handed over by Aug 14.

The meeting was further informed that five sets of train, each comprising five cars, had so far been manufactured which would soon be shipped to Pakistan. The arrangements for parking these coaches were being finalised at the depot at Dera Gujjran by laying a two kilometers track.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2017