Airport delay

Once completed, the new Islamabad International Airport will have outstanding facilities of international standards. The question that continues to boggle one’s mind, however, is: why has the project failed to take off even after a lapse of 10 years? The gargantuan new airport was to be completed at a cost of Rs37 billion. Now its cost has reportedly gone up to Rs100 billion. This drastic increase in cost is incredibly shocking.

Undeniably, projects of this magnitude are bound to have a number of minor and major problems. But regardless of their magnitude, problems can be overcome with proper planning and timely intervention. This is what has not been done in the case of this project. It is now being said that 80 percent work on the project has been completed and the facility will become operational in the last quarter of 2016. After seeing inordinate delays in the past, should one believe that this new deadline would ultimately be met?

M Fazal Elahi

Islamabad