Metro bus service from Peshawar Mor to NIIA: NHA approves PC-1 worth Rs 16 billion

The Executive Board of National Highway Authority (NHA) approved PC-1, worth Rs16 billion against the initial estimate of Rs13 billion, for construction of infrastructure of Metro Bus Service from Peshawar Mor to New Islamabad International Airport (NIIA), it is learnt.
Chairman NHA Shahid Ashraf Tarar chaired the Board meeting where the PC-1 for construction of infrastructure of Metro Bus Service for Peshawar Mor to NIIA was revised upward from the initial estimate of Rs13 billion to Rs16 billion by including additional expenditures under the head of infrastructure. The Board observed that initial estimate was not based on actual expenditure and therefore decided to revise it upward, sources added. The PC-1 would be submitted to the Planning Commission for further approval.
Metro Bus Service from Peshawar Mor to NIIA project has been undertaken on the directives of the Prime Minister and all the necessary arrangements are being made for its timely completion. The project will be completed in four packages. Ten stations will be constructed on the route of the Metro Bus, while three stations will be constructed in future.
The NHA has already approved hiring of consultants for design of necessary infrastructure for Islamabad Metro Bus Project. The project length is 25.6-km and it was divided into two packages; Peshawar Mor to G-13 and from G-13 to N-5 Interchange. The meeting also discussed various financial aspects of Lahore-Sialkot Motorway. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has performed the ground-breaking of Lahore-Sialkot Motorway Project, which is planned to be constructed at a cost of Rs45.4 billion. The ECNEC has approved the scheme including a subsidy of Rs18 billion for the project. Of the Rs45.4 billion estimated cost, the motorway will cost Rs43.8 billion and the remaining is for administrative expenses of the NHA.
The Lahore-Sialkot Project will be operated on build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis. Usually, in the BOT model, the contractor builds the project from its own resources, recovers the cost and makes profit by operating the project for a certain period. However, out of Rs43.8 billion, the federal government will give a total assistance of Rs23 billion to the contractor - the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO). Despite Rs23 billion government's assistance for making the project financially viable, it would still be treated as built on the BOT model. The government would not claim any share in revenues generated by charging a tax from commuters despite providing the subsidy.
The Board also accorded approval for detailed design for dualisation of 164-km Gambila to Kohat section of Indus Highway, up-gradation and improvement of Jand-Kohat section (63-km) and a new link from Jand to Pindi Gheb (23-km), connecting N-80 with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The meeting also accorded the approval for construction of 16-lane Islamabad Toll Plaza on Motorway M-1, and periodic maintenance works in Balochistan, Sindh, Northern Areas and Gilgit-Baltistan.
The chairman NHA further informed the participants that Authority is strengthening its monitoring and inspection system to ensure quality construction of highways throughout the country.
The meeting also discussed various aspects of widening of Alpuri-Besham, and 42-kilometre Aab-i-Gum-Sangan (Balochistan) projects. The meeting was attended by Shaukat Hayat, IG NH&MP, Altaf Asghar, Joint Secretary Ministry of Communications, Sajjad Afzal Afridi, Chief NTRC, Malik Ahmed Khan, Member (Infrastructure) P&D Division, Azhar Masood, Vice-President NESPAK, Raja Nowsherwan, Member (Planning) NHA, Shoaib Ahmed Khan, Member (Finance) NHA, and Saeed Ahmed Malik, Secretary NHA.