PML-Q senior leader Chaudhry Parvez Elahi has said the Punjab government have to pay Rs 140 billion annual subsidy for running the Metro Bus and Orange Line Train. This will result in heavy burden on the resources of the province depriving the poor people of medicines in hospitals and education.
Talking to journalists here on Sunday, Elahi said the contract for construction of Orange Line project has been awarded to such an inexperienced firm which has not undertaken such construction project previously and deals in arms business.
In reply to a question about scrapping of underground train project of his government, Elahi said we had awarded the contract to a firm which had completed Shanghai Metro Train and Euro Tunnel projects'
"Punjab was neither in deficit nor had to pay any subsidy and also there was no investment of Punjab Govt but Shahbaz Sharif, fond of dollar making and show off projects, did not like that proposal.
He further highlighted that unlike 3 per cent mark-up rate for Shahbaz Sharif's Orange Line project, mark-up for our project was only 0.25 per cent with ten years grace period and owing to its public utility the Asian Development Bank had even released first instalment of loan following approval of this Project No. 40573 which Shahbaz Sharif scrapped and instead started first jangla bus and later "dollar making" train projects. He said the deficit on train will increase annually by Rs 16 billion and Rs 24 billion on jangla (Metro) bus in Lahore and Rawalpindi cities.
He said people are protesting all around everywhere but Shahbaz Sharif is bent upon eliminating beauty of this historic city and demolishing all old and historical monuments.