Revenue generation: CM’s aide wants BRT commercial plazas outsourced

By Bureau report
January 08, 2025
Buses are seen parked at a terminal of the newly-built Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), a rapid bus transit system running along an east-west corridor, during a test-run in Peshawar on August 5, 2020. — AFP/File
Buses are seen parked at a terminal of the newly-built Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), a rapid bus transit system running along an east-west corridor, during a test-run in Peshawar on August 5, 2020. — AFP/File

PESHAWAR: Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Transport Rangeez Ahmad on Tuesday said the commercialization of BRT commercial plazas would provide employment opportunities to the people and increase the revenue of the Transport Department.

An official handout said that he expressed these views during his visit to TransPeshawar headquarters and commercial plazas Chamkani, Dabagri Garden and Hayatabad. The special assistant chaired a meeting at TransPeshawar headquarters. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Urban Mobility Authority Managing Director Pervez Subatkhel, Director General Peshawar Development Authority Abdul Ghafoor, CEO Trans Peshawar and other officials attended the meeting.

Rangeez Ahmad said the commercialization and outsourcing of BRT commercial plazas, including Chamkani Commercial Plaza, BRT Dabgari Garden Commercial Plaza and Hayatabad Commercial Plaza would help generate revenue for the provincial government. He said that the commercial plazas will make Peshawar a business hub and big firms here would be able to set up businesses there.

Briefing the meeting, the officials said that BRT Chamkani Commercial Plaza would be handed over to TransPeshawar this week, on which 100 percent work has been completed, while Chamkani Commercial Plaza covers an area of 18 kanals.

The area of BRT Dabagri Garden Commercial Plaza was 18 kanals, which will be handed over to TransPeshawar by the end of April this year. The BRT Hayatabad Commercial Plaza, which covers an area of 35 kanals, will be handed over to Trans Peshawar by the end of March this year and after the outsourcing process, these three plazas will be ready for commercial activities.

The special assistant inspected the three plazas after the meeting and expressed satisfaction with the civil work.He said the process of handing over the commercial plazas to TransPeshawar should be further accelerated while the commercial plazas should be outsourced for commercial activities and open and transparent bidding should be done in this connection.He said the Transport Department was introducing digital online driving licenses for which an MoU was being signed with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board.