FIA likely to submit BRT report during current week

PESHAWAR: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is likely to submit its report to the Peshawar High Court (PHC) in the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) probe in the current week. The PHC had directed the FIA in late November to conduct an inquiry into the BRT project and submit its report within 45 days. The FIA, however, is yet to complete its inquiry.

It was learnt that the registrar of the PHC in a letter has directed the FIA to submit its report by the end of the current week. An special team headed by deputy director Rizwan Shah was constituted by the FIA that questioned all the relevant officials of the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) as well as others working for other relevant departments. The team also visited various sites, including bus stations, of the BRT while probing 35 different points as directed by the PHC.

The toughest job for the FIA, a source said, was to question some senior officials mentioned in the court directives as well as to find out why the project is yet to be completed. The PHC had directed the FIA to probe 35 BRT points. It had observed that such a huge amount spent on the BRT could have been used to complete projects in a number of sectors that would have changed the economic landscape of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The court had pointed out that the total cost of 27.37 kilometres long road project was Rs66.437 billion, which meant an exorbitantly high Rs2.427 billion per kilometre. It posed a question as to who took the decision to buy 220 buses when only 65 buses were being used in Punjab for a longer bus route.

The court also questioned as to why the project could not be completed in the anticipated one year period. Besides, it observed that one of the major flaws of the project was construction of at-grade corridor on the University Road that would increase traffic congestion instead of providing ease to the commuters.

The court was told during the hearing of the case that senior officers of the provincial government, including Additional Chief Secretary and Commissioner Peshawar were being paid a hefty allowance even though they had no managerial role in the BRT.