Daily Times

PESHAWAR: Recently, a 27-page long report enquiring into multi-billion and long-delayed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in Peshawar is released by the Provincial Inspection Team. On the orders of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Mahmood Khan, it was submitted to the government on January 30.

The highlights of the report are as under:

Firstly, the preliminary planning process was haphazard without due attention towards details drainage, geotechnical feasibility, highway, structural considerations, traffic flow, survey and utilities etc. Consequently, frequent design changes followed in the execution stage leading to a waste of tax money paid by the public.

Secondly, a preferred way to build the BRT corridor would have been to make it elevated so as to avoid the traffic jam. Presently the traffic congestion has been found at places where the BRT stations have been constructed at-grid rather than underground. Another issue is that the post-BRT carriageway width for mixed traffic at the locations of BRT bus stations have been reduced by 40 percent on average as compared to pre-BRT conditions which, in future will create more blockage to the free flow of mixed traffic. Besides, the non-maintenance of uniform number of lanes for mixed traffic through BRT route has created bottlenecks, furthering the traffic congestion.

Thirdly, in Reach-III of the project at the University Road, the approaches for the BRT bus stations near University of Peshawar and Board of Intermediate & Secondary Education (BISE) Peshawar colony have been constructed on walkways adjacent to government buildings, causing narrow sidewalks. A possibility would have been to construct them by acquiring small piece of land from government entities free of cost, removing hindrances from the walkways. Further, the canopies of the underpasses have also contributed in reducing width of the carriageway for mixed traffic.

Fourthly, signals designed for pedestrian zebra crossings to make access easier to the centre of the road will have the unintended consequence of increasing mixed traffic. A better approach would have been to introduce zebra crossings at points of little traffic.

Fifthly, there was no provision in the revised PC-I for installation of louvers and sound barriers at the elevated portions of Reach-II of the project which are required to safeguard the privacy of the buildings and counter the noise pollution in the vicinity. Besides, the elevated portion of the BRT passage needs a better-designed drainage system.

Sixth, no passage for pedestrians other than BRT bus station approaches has been planned in the project.

Seventh, the washrooms at the BRT bus stations consist of poor craftsmanship – both in construction details and brickwork.

Eighth, the bike lane had not been maintained throughout the BRT corridor – at some points, it has been omitted while at others, it was combined with mixed traffic lane; a questionable step considering the requirement of the ADB in this regard as claimed by the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA).

Ninth, concrete work of the project is stretched up to 40 meters in length instead of casting them in panels, contrary to standard engineering practice, and leading to sheer cracks in the entire stretch.

Following recommendations were made by the report:

1. To hold the people causing loss to national exchequer due to faulty design responsible.
2. Presently, it is neither possible to increase the width of the carriageway for the mixed traffic nor the BRT bus stations can be made underground to provide extra and uniform number of lanes for mixed traffic. However, the existing number of lanes/carriageway width for mixed traffic may be temporarily maintained uniformly throughout the BRT corridor – at the stations as well as between stations – to examine the traffic flow and proceed further accordingly.
3. To relocate the canopies for entrance to underground shops at Tehkal, Abdara and Board Bazaar to the most suitable places to increase the carriageway width for mixed traffic at these locations.
4. To acquire land for the BRT corridor from other government entities such as the University of Peshawar, BISE Peshawar, Islamia College.

In face of the rising criticism against the BRT project, Director General of Peshawar Development Authority Israrul Haq was removed from his post, and a day after, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government removed transport secretary Kamran Rehman Khan.

Dr Muhammad Fakhar-e-Alam Irfan, a senior member of the Board of Revenue, has been given additional charge as the new provincial transport secretary.

Hailed as a “world-class transport service” aimed at generating “greater economic activity and prosperity in the city” on its official website, the BRT project, was launched by former chief minister Pervez Khattak during his tenure.

The work on the fixed-rail continues to this day although the construction began back in October 2017. It is a 26-kilometer east-west corridor in the city, designed to move thousands of passengers per day. Of the total 31 bus stations, 11 are still incomplete. The three bus depots, at Chamkani, Hayatabad and Dabgari, are still in limbo. Out of 200 buses to be imported from China, so far only 21 have made it to the project.

As a result of all this mismanagement, the cost overrun for Peshawar BRT project is 17 billion PKR.