BRT project Peshawar: PPP wants NAB to probe into corruption charges, inordinate delay

Pakistan People Party (PPP) on Thursday filed a written complaint in National Accountability Bureau (NAB), seeking investigation into alleged corruption and inordinate delay in completion of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project Peshawar. The PPP leaders including former deputy speaker National Assembly Faisal Karim Khundi, Akhunzada Chattan, Humayun Khan, Sher Azam Wazir and Ijaz Durrani submitted the compliant before NAB chairman former Justice Javed Iqbal regarding delay and alleged corruption in BRT Peshawar. The chairman NAB met with the PPP's delegation and formally received the complaint.
The application stated that the project was so ill-planned that no concept paper was prepared to see if the project was feasible for domestic needs or not. Being chief executive of the province and chairperson in all meetings, former Chief Minister KPK Pervaiz Khattak is accountable for ill-planning and traumatising citizens of Peshawar.
It says that it was widely propagated by the previous government headed by Pervaiz Khattak that costs incurring upon the BRT are far less than the other such projects executed in the country and the project to be completed in six months but the project still needs completion and the cost of project has increased due to the delay.
The application says that a project of six billion rupees in the name of road widening, green belts development and designated U-turns was started to improve flow of traffic and beautify the city by the previous government of PTI but later the BRT was launched on the same roads, which resulted in traffic jams, besides wastage of money.
It says that according to media reports, the contract was awarded at market rate but the same was enhanced by the government up to 25 percent subject to the completion of project within six months; however, the same has not yet been completed whereas the said 25 percent enhanced amount was released.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government failed to complete the project within the stipulated time and the cost of the project has escalated to the tune of Rs 70 billion. The recent report of provincial inspection team speaks irregularities in award of contract as well as its execution later on, it says.
It says that the government officials committed an offence under section 9 of NAB ordinance by favouring their blue-eyed persons for their own illegal gains and motives, which is punishable under section 10 of the NAB ordinance. The applicants requested that the matter may be investigated and reference under section 18 of the NAB ordinance 1999 may be filed in the competition court and they may be dealt with in accordance with law. Later talking to reporters, the PPP leaders said that they are not against any individual person but have submitted an application seeking complete investigation of delay in completion of BRT.