ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday informed that the New Islamabad Airport Project will not be completed by end of this year due to the deficiencies in the PC 1 of the project and cost of work.
Briefing the PAC held under the chairmanship of Syed Khursheed Shah, Director General CAA Air Marshal (retd) Asim Suleiman said that the project was to be completed in December 2016 but due to some technical reasons it would be completed in the mid of 2017.
The major reasons of delay in the construction was non possession of site and eviction of illegal occupants till 2014, frequent changes of projects directors, mismanagement of project as highlighted by different inquires, land, issue of supplying water to the Airport and inefficiency in tendering of major equipment required for the project.
He said the project is facing a number of problems in regard to the road access and water facilities. However 60 per cent work on the airport project has been completed while 63 per cent payments have been made, he informed. The DG CAA said that Rs 52 billion have been spent on the project till February 2016. After the completion of the construction work minimum period of 4 to 6 months will be required for operation and integration of systems, he added.
Revised PC I was of Rs 81 billion but important features including provision of water, electricity and purchase of land were still not including in it, PAC reprimanded.Two runways have been constructed without any planning and there was no taxi path between the runways as per international standard, Chairman PAC observed. Cracks have appeared at the runway due to proximity of the drain, he added. Chairman PAC said it seemed that cost of the project would exceed Rs 100 billion. The committee was annoyed over misleading statements of CAA authorities and observed that PAC must not be misled.
Chairman PAC Khursheed Shah said according to the earlier briefing 85 per cent work on the project had been completed but CAA was talking about 60 per cent work.
Answering a question on water supply for airport DG CAA said that there was no water available from Shahpur Dam therefore CAA proposed two dams and they were approved in CDWP meeting on March 31, 2015, in two phases. He said that in first phase 282 acres land was acquired on 11 March, 2016, for the construction of Ramma Dam and in the second phase Kassana Dam would be made.
PAC directed the Secretary Civil Aviation Authority to give accurate date within one month after carrying out study that when New Airport would be functional.DG CAA said there was no access road to the new airport adding that access road is the responsibility of National Highway Authority.
Chairman National Highway Authority Shahid Ashraf Tarar said that road connectivity would be given to airport at the end of this year. He said that it would be 29.3 kilometer road and Rs 16.8 billion cost will be occurred on it.
Representative of Petroleum Ministry briefed that CAA applied for four gas connections and out of them two will be given soon. However the commercial and captive connections can not be granted due to the imposition of ban.
To this Syed Khursheed Shah directed the Secretary to write a letter to the Prime Minister for issuance of these two connections.It may be mentioned here that airport project was conceived in 1984 and in 2004 the then prime minister Shaukat Aziz inaugurated the work on the project. But the construction of the airport started without the approval of any design.
The PC I of Rs 37 billion was approved in 2008 but it did not contain the establishment of the fuel system, radar and radio control building, aprons, sewage treatment plants, supply of electricity and water to the airport.
