Mahmood Khan is third CM pushing for expediting work on Peshawar BRT

PESHAWAR: Mahmood Khan is the third chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who is pushing for expediting work on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in the provincial capital and demanding its completion.

He ordered the government officials and contractors recently to expedite work on the Peshawar BRT and get it completed by the new deadline of March 23, 2019. He warned of severe punishment if the project got further delayed.

Before him, Pervez Khattak too was in a hurry to see the BRT operational. He gave an impossible target of six months for completion of the project. This didn't happen before the July 2018 general election and he eventually gave up.

The caretaker provincial government too tried to get the pace of work on the BRT expedited. Retired Justice Dost Mohammad Khan, who served as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's caretaker chief minister, had instructed that the BRT work should be expedited. Not much could be done due to the short term of the caretakers.

The July 25 general election again brought the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to power and as senior provincial minister Mohammad Atif Khan said recently the BRT has become a sore point for the PTI. It has now become the responsibility of the PTI's re-elected government in the province to ensure completion of the BRT. This is the reason Chief Minister Mahmood Khan is now threatening punishment if the BRT isn't completed by the new deadline of March 23, 2019.

The original completion date of BRT was April 20, 2018. It was later made May 20, 2018 by Pervez Khattak who wanted his six months completion time to be met at all costs. It was an unrealistic deadline and it wasn't met.

Meanwhile, the cost of the BRT went up. The frequent changes in design also contributed to the rise in the cost. Already there are reports that the March 23 deadline next year for completing the project may not be met.

Citizens are angry that their beloved Peshawar was dug up. They are unhappy that the previous beautification project in Peshawar that had added to its beauty was damaged. They keep asking whether it was even necessary to build the BRT in Peshawar.