Authorities fail to construct Swat Expressway within stipulated time

PESHAWAR: Swat Expressway, a mega project of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, is far behind completion although the government and the executing construction firm had claimed to complete the project well before the stipulated time.

Work on the 81-kilometres long motorway from Kernal Sher Khan interchange on the Motorway M-I up to Chakdara was launched in August 2016 and according to the plan was to be completed in December 2017.

The highway being executed under Public Private Partnership with the Frontier Works Organization (FWO) was to be completed in 15 months.

Addressing the groundbreaking ceremony at the starting point (Kernal Sher Khan interchange) on August 25, 2016, Chief Minister Pervez Khattak had said the highway would be completed in 15 months. “Though the stipulated time period for the project completion is 18 months but the FWO has assured its completion in 15 months. Keeping in view its track record, the FWO would complete it before the stipulated time,” he stated.

However, December has passed and keeping in view the pace of work, it seems difficult that the project would be completed during the constitutional term of the incumbent set-up ending by end of May 2018.

The Chief Minister, during his recent visit to the project site, said that the first section of the Swat Expressway from Kernal Sher interchange to Katlang would be opened in March. This too seems difficult if not impossible as work on the Dobian, Bakhshali and Katlang interchanges has not been completed. The blacktopping of the road too would need time.

According to FWO’s Col Qaiser, major work on the project from Kernal Sher Khan interchange to Palai has been done and the highway up to Katlang would be opened by March or at the most by April. “While 60 percent work on tunnels has been completed and the remaining 40 percent would be completed by June as work from both the sides, Zulam Kot in the north and Palai in the south is in progress. Only ten kilometres long area from Palai to Shahkot is hard which will take some time and the remaining distance would be completed easily,” he explained. .

Col Qaiser said the provincial government is paying Rs17 billion out of the Rs40 billion project while the FWO would recover the remaining amount through toll collection in 25 years after completion of the highway. To make the motorway beneficial, 10,000 acres land has been acquired near the Kernal Sher interchange for establishment of an industrial zone under the CPEC project, he added.

The motorway is the first of its kind being executed by a provincial government in Pakistan. It will benefit several districts, including Mardan, Malakand, Swat, Shangla, Lower Dir, Upper Dir and Chitral besides Bajaur Agency. On completion, the highway will reduce the distance from Chakdara to Peshawar or Islamabad at least by two hours.

The 81-kilometres long and 80-meter wide motorway will have two tunnels of three kilometres length and interchanges at Dobian, Ismaila, Bakhshali, Katlang, Palai and Chakdara. Approximately, 15,000 to 20,000 vehicles would ply the route daily.