Mass transit plan for Peshawar becomes a thing of the past

KP govt at wits end due to railways refusal to provide land

PESHAWAR: The mass transit system proposed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is becoming a thing of the past because the federal government has refused to allot Pakistan Railways land for the purpose.

Peshawar, the provincial capital and business hub of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is located in proximity to the Afghan border. Its location on the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia has made it a culturally and commercially vibrant city of the region with a fast growing population.

People stranded in bumper-to-bumper cars, amid smog emitting from vehicles on the roads, is a usual sight in Peshawar that was once known as the city of flowers. Before hitting the road, one needs to keep in mind the time that will be wasted due to traffic jams and security checkpoints. The issue is severe in the morning when most people leave home for work or to study.

The provincial government initially planned a 26-kilometre highway alongside the existing railway track to run a metro bus from Nasirpur to Karkhano Market in Hayatabad. A fast paced monorail system on the GT Road between Chamkani and Karkhano Market was also planned. However, the federal government has refused to allot land for the purpose.

Addressing a rally in Lahore recently, federal Minister for Railways Khwaja Saad Rafique said that the railways land in Peshawar would be used to double the track as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. He said the KP government should select some other place in Peshawar for the metro bus instead of seeking the railways land. Another obstacle to the proposed transit system is the railway track that passes through the Peshawar airport and involves security clearance that wasn’t forthcoming.

An official of the Pakistan Railways in Peshawar told The News that across Pakistan the railway tracks have an additional 30 to 100 feet space for operational purposes.

“This is because if the authorities decide to double the track they can use the empty area that is reserved for the purpose along the rail tracks. This is the reason the federal government has refused to allot the space along the railway track for the KP govt’s proposed mass transit system,” stated the official who requested anonymity.

Asked if Punjab government has also used the railways land for the Orange Line train, he said that Punjab has opted to use residential areas of railways for their new train, but not the operational areas along the rail tracks.

When contacted, KP government’s focal person for mega projects Shaukat Yousafzai said the federal government always tried to usurp KP’s rights and was also unwilling to give land for the Peshawar mass transit system.

“Whether it is the issue of our share of the net hydel profits or mass transit system, the federal government has always created problems for our province because our people have voted for the PTI,” he alleged. When told that the railways is refusing to allot land because the space alongside rail tracks is for operational purposes and not meant for other schemes, he said that if that is the case then why the railways property had been occupied by people in various areas.

“If the Centre doesn’t want to allow other schemes along the rail tracks, why have they sold railways land to people? People have even constructed shops and other businesses on railways land in different areas,” he maintained.

Shaukat Yousafzai said the KP government had recently approved 100 air-conditioned buses to ply the city roads to improve the public transport.

When asked about any alternate route for the proposed Peshawar mass transit system in case the Centre continues sticking to its stance, he said the only other option the government has is to to launch an overhead metro bus in Peshawar like the one in Lahore.