Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited and inspected the metro bus project from Peshawar Morr to New Islamabad Airport, which has been delayed for four years, and directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to operationalize the bus service from April 16 while ordering an inquiry into the project’s delay.
In regards to the metro bus project, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was informed during the briefing that the project would initially be served by 15 buses, which would begin service on Saturday.
Shehbaz Sharif questioned why the project had been delayed for so long. He stated, “There is no justification for delaying the metro project.”
Shehbaz Sharif expressed his displeasure with the project’s delay, calling it “serious negligence” because Rs16 billion had been spent on the mega-project of national importance. He described it as unjust to the general public, whose tax dollars had been spent but who were denied the facility in return.
He directed the concerned officials to draught TORs for the investigation in order to determine the reasons for the delay, which resulted in the loss of national wealth.
While ordering an investigation into the metro bus project’s delay, the prime minister stated that public-interest projects should be completed as soon as possible. “Passengers should also be able to store their luggage on the metro bus,” he stipulated.
At 7 a.m., the prime minister paid a visit to the Peshawar More metro bus station to assess the project’s progress on the ground. He also directed that a feasibility study be conducted in accordance with PPRA (Public Procurement Regulatory Authority) rules for two additional routes connecting the airport, namely Rawat and Bhara Kahu.
He directed the construction of a metro bus station along the highway for better connectivity and to ensure that the service benefits the greatest number of people.
The prime minister suggested that luggage racks be installed in buses en route to the airport to accommodate passengers’ luggage.
He directed that a free service be provided for a trial period until ticketing machines could be installed.
Shehbaz Sharif, who took office on April 11, ordered the Islamabad metro bus service to be operational in five days.
During the visit, Ahsan Iqbal, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Hanif Abbasi, and Anjum Aqeel of the Pakistan Muslim League accompanied the prime minister.
The prime minister was briefed on the project by officials from the National Highway Authority and the CDA.
It was stated that 30 buses would be run on the 24-kilometer track between Peshawar Morr and Islamabad International Airport at first. Until the new fleet is added to the Islamabad metro service, fifteen buses will be taken from the Punjab Mass Transit Authority in Rawalpindi.
CDA was temporarily operating on behalf of the government, according to the prime minister, while a separate Metro Bus Authority was being formed.
Meanwhile, Marriyum Aurangzeb, a spokesperson for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), said on Twitter that the prime minister had directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to begin operating metro buses from Peshawar Road to Islamabad Airport on April 16. “Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also directed that metro buses be operated between Bhara Kahu and Rawat and that a feasibility report for a motorway connection be prepared,” she added.
In another tweet, Marriyum Aurangzeb claimed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had given orders to run a free metro bus service during Ramadan. She claimed that previous rulers used the pretext of “foreign conspiracy” to hide their ineptness and corruption.
Shehbaz Sharif had ordered the completion of key operational elements for the bus service to begin the day before. In this regard, he gave instructions to the Capital Development Authority (CDA), the Ministry of Interior Affairs (MoIA), and the National Highway Authority (NHA).
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif launched the project in 2017 and set a deadline for 2018 for its completion. However, the project’s completion was delayed by about four years due to “operational difficulties.”
CDA requested assistance from the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) earlier this month in order to procure 30 buses from China in time for the metro bus project.
