PESHAWAR, Nov 3: The Peshawar City District Government is likely to scrap proposed Rs1 billion bus terminal project in the provincial capital. Predecessor district government had planned the terminal aimed at providing all modern facilities to commuters and transporters.
“I am not in favour of such an expensive project”, said Haji Ghulam Ali, the newly-elected City District Nazim.
Speaking at the Peshawar Press Club’s “Guest Hour” programme here on Wednesday, he said that feasibility report of the proposed project had been completed and the provincial government had allocated Rs500 million for it.
He said the district government had neither capacity nor resources to maintain such an ultra modern bus terminal, adding that the district government would consider other options.
Elaborating his priorities, Mr Ali said he would focus on provision of drinking water, construction of under passes and improvement of sanitation and traffic systems.
He said the government of Japan had agreed in principle to finance a gigantic project to ensure sufficient water supply from the Warsak Dam.
He said he had directed the department concerned to complete feasibility report of the project. Besides, a delegation from China would arrive in Peshawar to discuss the water supply scheme, he added.
The provincial government had contemplated a plan to provide drinking water from Warsak reservoir to Peshawar through an underground pip-eline.
For this purpose an amount of Rs20 million was allocated for feasibility report in the 2003-04 annual budget. Officials said that tentative cost of the project was Rs900 million.
The nazim was optimistic that he would generate funds for all proposed schemes, saying that he did not want to disclose his strategy about funds generation. He said that the federal and provincial governments had assured him full support for resolution of main issues of the provincial capital.
Mr Ali said that the Municipal Department had been directed to prepare feasibility report of under passes at various points on the Grand Trunk Road, the University Road and other congested points.
He said that the department would complete feasibility report within 15 days and work on the project would be launched very soon. He said that construction of under passes would ease traffic flow. About improvement of intra-city roads, he said an amount of Rs80 million had been allocated in the new annual development programme which would be spent on carpeting of all main roads.
He said that an amount of Rs50 million would be distributed among union council nazims and councillors to carry out development activities in their respective areas.
He said that purchase of five vacuum machines was under consideration. The machines would be used on the GT road, the University Road, the Qissa Khwani Bazaar and other areas to collect garbage without creating dust pollution.