class which suffers all the day in shabby and untidy public transport.
While talking to this correspondent in mid-February, Abbasi had claimed, “He was not going to allow (contractors) drag work beyond March, a promise he had earlier made to do so by January 31, and the project will be incomplete against his claim when it will be opened for the buses. Leave alone the main bus track which is almost ready, the rubble that has to be removed from various stations, on ground on service road and the physical work will continue to haunt the government for few more months. This excludes the time which repair of roads infrastructure which has been destroyed due to overload of the heavy traffic that was diverted to alternate routes from the main artery during construction work.
The delay, the lengthy delay which the political supporters of the government blame on Imran Khan’s prolonged dharna and incessant rains has not only caused extreme tension on commuters, motorists and daily wage workers, but it has almost destroyed the businesses that were bursting with droves of shoppers all along Benazir Road.
The government propaganda machine both paid adverts and party affiliates have over time created a euphoria about the state of the art project—true, but they have no reply to few questions inter alia;
How and whether the damage/losses occurred to the businesses on the roadside during construction work would be compensated and those rendered jobless would be rehabilitated. Whether the electric poles giving an ugly look after construction of elevated metro track would ever be replaced with underground wiring? What the administration has taken measures for making the traffic on BB Road smooth by allowing ‘zebra crossings, underpasses or overhead bridges to ease the flow of pedestrians?
It’s time for stock taking; it’s time for soul searching and it’s time for accountability as without accountability of those responsible for lapses, delays, the people will continue to suffer despite Metro buses plying over their heads (for Pindiites). At present those made supervisors over the contractors are trying to save their skin under the unjustified and baseless causes of delay and lacking in works.