Babu Sabu Interchange project tenders delayed

LAHORE:The project of Babu Sabu Interchange has delayed as it didn’t receive a positive response from the construction companies allegedly due to the uncertain political situation in Punjab.

Recently, former chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi laid the foundation stone of the Babu Sabu Interchange project and the project was advertised widely as a big achievement.

Sources in Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Engineering wing claimed that the tender opening date of the project was January 13, 2023, which was first extended to January 20, 2023, and later it was extended till January 30, 2023.

Lahore Development Authority’s engineering wing issued letters of invitation to several construction companies, including a blacklisted company. However, LDA’s Chief Engineer Mazhar Khan said that the blacklisted company was cleared on the orders of the High Court and this was why they were also invited to participate in the tender.

Under this project, construction work was to be started on Band Road from Babu Sabu Interchange to Ring Road and an underpass will also be constructed at Gulshan Ravi T junction on Band Road.

The estimated cost of the project was over Rs4 billion while the cost of rehabilitation of Band Road and civil construction on underpass was estimated at over Rs3 billion. The completion time of the project was 10 months. Along with the Band Road rehabilitation project, bus stops will also be constructed.

A senior LDA official of engineering wing said that 10 kanal 5 marla land would be acquired for the band Road project while a six-lane road would be constructed on the two-kilometer long corridor. He added Gulshan Ravi underpass would be constructed with three lanes and 5.1 meters high. The construction of the project will benefit 138,960 vehicles per day.

Sources said the delay in tender would result in price escalation, which will put an additional financial burden on the LDA as well as on the Punjab government. They claimed the delay in the tender was a result of the negligence of the LDA Engineering wing.

LDA’s Chief Engineer Mazhar Khan while talking with the scribe said that the extension in the tender date had nothing to do with the political situation. He said the project was of the public welfare and its tender date was extended due to the non-availability of some NOCs from the relevant government departments.