The Planning Commission has refused to include Rs 1.23 billion cost of 2.6 kilometres leftover portion of Kashmir Highway in New Islamabad International Airport (NIIA) project and directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to complete the project as per original scope of work.
Sources said that the cost of the incomplete portion of 2.6 kilometres was also included in the PC-1 of the New Islamabad Airport, but Planning Commission refused to make it part of the project and approved construction of road network for new Islamabad International Airport at reduced cost of Rs 11.295 billion from Rs 12.639 billion after excluding the cost of 2.6 kilometres. The project was approved, in principle, by a recently held meeting of Ecnec chaired by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.
Sources further stated that on the request of the Cabinet Division/CDA, the leftover link of Kashmir Highway was made part of airport project with the contention that it has a consistency in design and quality construction. The leftover work includes widening and improvement of 2.6 kilometres length of Kashmir Highway from Golra Chowk to GT road interchange with a total cost of Rs 1.2 billion. Sources said that originally this portion was part of Rs 5.689 billion CDA project of Kashmir Highway, which was executed on 50:50 cost sharing basis by the CDA and federal government.
Federal government was requested to consider the same cost sharing formula for the remaining 2.6 kilometres portion but it was turned down by the Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms. Sources in Finance Ministry stated that the minutes of the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) submitted to the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) presided over by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar clearly states that "CDA may complete its project as per approved scope of work".
The meeting excluded the cost component from new Islamabad Airport project of National Highway Authority (NHA) in order to avoid any delay for link roads, which are aimed at connecting new airport with different routes. In the pre-CDWP meeting observations were raised on the working paper of the project including 2.6 kilometres leftover portion.
The chairman of the meeting observed that leftover 2.6 kilometres length of Kashmir Highway from Golra Chowk to GT Road interchange would be 10-lane facility while GT Road interchange can only cater for 6-lane traffic movement onwards to the motorway link road. The member NHA stated that expansion of GT Road interchange to facilitate 10-lane traffic was included in the scope of work under the new Islamabad Airport project.