Bureaucracy adopts novel way to cover up flaws in BRT

PESHAWAR: The bureaucracy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa adopted a novel way to cover up irregularities in the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project as it decided to close down the Project Management Unit (PMU) in the Transport and Mass Transit Department (TMTD) apparently for pinpointing a number of flaws in the procurement and construction of the scheme.

The PMU management has already been directed to submit the PC-IV (Project Completion Report) of the Unit so that it could be closed down while funds for the unit would also not be available to run it any more. According to the documents provided to The News, the PMU has pinpointed several faults and inner flaws in material, construction standards and even the BRT buses procured for the corridor.

The performance audit report of the BRT project, which appeared in The News on Friday, was also mainly based on flaws highlighted during the construction of the project corridor by the PMU. It apparently annoyed the bureaucracy that has decided to close down the BRT PMU to avoid any such disclosures in the future.

However, the closure of the PMU may lead to contempt of court if the bureaucracy goes with its plan as the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on December 20, 2018 restrained the provincial government from taking any adverse action against the officials of the PMU in another case while they are now seeking stay order from the high court against the closure of the unit.

The project director of the PMU in the TMTD has also responded to closure decision and wrote to the Senior Planning Officers TMTD that the PMU was created to manage the Detailed Engineering Design Consultants, the 3rd Party Design Review Consultants, and to coordinate, supervise and oversee the civil work activities of the BRT project.

The PD in his letter pointed out that according to the latest physical and financial figures submitted by Project Implementation Unit (PIU) - Peshawar Development Authority (PDA), the executing agency, on May 9, 2019, still considerable amount of civil works left there, which is yet to be completed.

Moreover, contracts of the detailed engineering design consultants are expired and due for renewal which is yet to be accomplished and due to this anomaly a number of key tasks directly associated with the physical and institutional development of the project are incomplete. The letter said that the TMTD has directed PMU for submission of PC-IV, which is the project completion report, without any prior notice or justification.

The same has been questioned by PMU staff and PD in his petition seeking stay order from the PHC against the imminent closure of the unit and through its letters to TMTD and P&D department.

It said the PC-IV of the PMU for BRT project could not be submitted due to the fact that the BRT project is still ongoing and it is premature to compile a project completion report which is not complete at all.

Moreover, the PMU is not a project, but only a technical component of the BRT project which is supposed to be merged in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Urban Mobility Authority (KPUMA). Therefore, the PMU itself will continue all its functions till the end of the project in accordance with the PC-I.

Furthermore, the detailed engineering design consultants reporting to PMU are supposed to finish off their key contractual obligations till the end of next financial year.

According to the Planning Commission’s Manual for Development of Projects, the PD letter said, a “PC-IV Form is required to be submitted at the time when the project is adjudged to be complete”.

According to the Project Administration Manual (PAM) and the Project and Loan Agreements (ADB & AFD), Phase-I of Peshawar BRT project, it further indicated that the project was supposed to be completed by June 30, 2021 and the dates for initiation of Phase-II are yet to be ascertained. The PD claimed in his letter and subsequent petition to the court that the adverse actions were being undertaken against the PMU employees purely due to their professional work being carried out in the best interest of the project.

The example of such adverse action is that, the PD was sent on forced leave for highlighting various design, construction and implementation issues at various forums including the progress monitoring committee meeting which is covered by the print media.