ISLAMABAD:
All of a sudden, the federal government has decided to build a long and
zigzagging link road to the new international airport near Fateh Jang,
costing over Rs15 bn, in violation of the Islamabad Master Plan,
ignoring the original, straight, inexpensive and hassle-free access to
the facility.
The approved link road, if built, would
eat up the land between I and H sectors in the 14, 15, 16 and 17 series,
earmarked in the Master Plan for the rail track.Top officials of the
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), National Highway Authority (NHA) and
Planning Commission got their choice approach road approved by the
competent authority.
However, the two main agencies — the
Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Rawalpindi Development Authority
(RDA) — which are directly concerned with link roads, were neither
invited to this briefing nor were they consulted. Moreover, the district
government, Rawalpindi, has started acquiring a huge chunk of land for
this purpose near the new airport.Concerted efforts were made for three
days to get the versions of all the concerned departments. Some were
forthcoming while others did not. By getting this link approved, the CAA
also misinformed the Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly
as no such approach road figured in its comprehensive briefing and maps
handed over to it on January 23 this year. This still figures on the
PAC website. Interestingly every institution passes the buck on to other
for this controversial approval and no one is ready to take the blame.
While
the cost of the new airport has scandalously escalated to almost Rs100b
from its original expenditure of Rs30b because of bureaucratic
incompetence apart from the time wasted in completing the project, the
approved link road would cause more burden on the public exchequer. The
case of alleged corruption in the construction of the airport is already
before the Supreme Court, and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is
probing it on its directions. The actual and shorter approach road that
did not find even a mention in the briefing to the prime minister would
cost just Rs1b.
The approved route has several unique
features apart from the unprecedented heavy cost. It will have at least a
four-kilometrs 24-feet high elevated structure starting from the Golra
More on the Kashmir Highway near the CDA toll plaza that will pass by
the Pakistan Army’s CMT&SD (Central Mechanical Transport &
Stores Depot) to cross into I-14 Sector (Haji Camp), flying over the GT
Road. Thousands of military personnel work at the CMT&SD. Then, the
link will land on ground.
Second, this access will travel
precisely two and a half kilometres inside the airport, close to its
several key installations before reaching the parking lot. Third, it
will be spread over 21 kilometres and the entire track will have to be
constructed afresh. The CDA sectors extend to I & H 17 series. After
that land would have to be acquired in the I & H 18 and 19 sectors
for the new road, which would incur a heavy cost.
At
present, Right of Way (RoW) of 600 feet is available between I & H
sectors, which is meant for the rail track and principal and service
roads as per the Master Plan. On this land, the approved access would be
built. It is an established practice that a “highway” (the approved
route has been so named) requires 1200 feet RoW. If this was done, these
sectors would have to be shortened, which would entail cancellation of
plots of those who were allotted the same several years ago.
On
the other hand, just a small portion of four kilometres, starting from
the Motorway Zero Point Interchange, will be required to be constructed
afresh if the original approach was chosen. Till that point the rest of
the Kashmir Highway is already built. The ongoing expansion of the
Kashmir Highway till the GT Road will be sufficient to bear the heavy
load of the airport traffic.
In this case, no major land
acquisition is involved. Of the 4kms portion that will built afresh, the
two housing town, through which the link road is to pass, have already
committed to the NHA free-of-cost and for 2km portion, touching them.
However, land would have to be acquired for the remaining 2km portion,
which doesn’t involve any high cost. In addition, this link road will
land direct in the parking area without passing by any key airport
installation.
An argument to attract the prime minister
that was given by those who briefed him was that the link road that
helps the government recover the huge cost incurred by it on
constructing the airport by creating an expansive commercial area (RoW)
along it and selling it to the private sector to construct hotels and
shopping area, and that the owners of the housing towns should not
benefit from the new airport in any way.
But they have no
answer to the question that what crime the private town developers
committed by investing billions in the area several years before the
actual building work of the airport started.
While the
government has failed to manage its vast state land, it wants to earn
money at the cost of the private sector. It is a general practice that
investors tend to buy land near planned airports, bus terminals and
other government facilities.
Interestingly, the approved
link would again pass through one of these housing towns, which is being
threatened with cancellation of the NOC, given by the RDA long time
ago, if it did not surrender land to the CAA for the new access. The
owners of the two towns say they have got all the necessary permissions
from the RAD over the past 10 years, and have even executed registry of
the required land in its name.
A few years back, all
stakeholders and relevant government departments, including the NHA,
CDA, CAA and the representatives of the housing towns reached an
agreement in black and white on the RoW, along the actual link road. Not
only that they also consented to the heights of the multi-storeyed
buildings.
Another argument given by the opponents of the
original route was that the third runway was to be built, which could
not be if this approach was constructed. However, it is stated that
while the cost of the construction of the airport has already gone out
of control, the new runway, which might be built after two decades,
would require hefty funds. Even this future runway comes into being, the
actual link in no way interferes with it. For aircraft engine thrust,
underground crossings have been made like in Sydney, Singapore, Germany
and several other countries of the world.
As is generally
believed, such link roads are not created without certain interests
relating to the land surrounding them. Speculation has it that this fact
exists in the instant case as well, but it is yet to be ascertained.
Insiders
say that engineering experts within different departments, which are
concerned with designing and constructing the approved approach road,
are at a loss over the decision and are hesitant to accept it.
Special
Assistant to Prime Minister on Aviation Shujaat Azeem was sent a
questionnaire which was replied through a one liner. The reply reads:
“Please, contact planning division and NHA for the desired questions as
all the options were prepared and the most suitable was chosen”.
Deputy
Chairman Planning Commission, Ahsan Iqbal, while talking to The News
said that the Planning Commission has nothing to do with the proposed
route as it is a brain child of NHA and CAA. “The Planning Commission
has only given its input regarding the right of way which should be
acquired on both sides of the road as there should be enough land that
if in future there is any commercial activity, the main beneficiary
should be the government,” said the Planning Commission deputy chairman
adding: “I do not know about the alignment of new route but we have only
told CAA and NHA that whichever oute is built, there must be enough
right of way on both sides of it.”
The spokesman of
Capital Development Authority, while giving CDA’s version, said that the
civic authority will not let the Master Plan of the capital. He,
however, maintained that it is the planning department of CDA which is
dealing this issue. The CDA, a few weeks ago gave a written version to
The News which reads: “The most workable / practical route linking the
new Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIAP) with Rawalpindi and
Islamabad is through the Kashmir Highway, which links the Motorway Link
Road up to Zero Point of Pakistan Motorway. Another additional 04
Kilometres road is to be built to connect new BBIAP from this point
onward. The CDA, in anticipation of the traffic from the new BBIAP on to
the Kashmir Highway, has already started widening of the Kashmir
Highway.”
The Rawalpindi Development Authority Director
General, when contacted, said that the RDA was not invited in the
briefing. However, he maintained that the RDA is invited to the other
meetings held by the CAA regarding construction of the access link.
Jamshaid Aftab, the RDA Director, who is well abreast of the issues
related to the construction of road from new airport to the twin cities
when contacted said that he attended a meeting on March 12, 2014, in
which the RDA emphasized of linking the Kashmir Highway with the new
airport but now he has only heard that a new route has been proposed and
approved.
“We will have to see the alignment of new route
and then would give our input,” said the director adding: “As of today,
we stick to our view of linking the already built Kashmir Highway with
the new airport.”
Muhammad Ali Gerdaizi, the Secretary
Aviation/Chairman CAA Board, when contacted for his views, said that it
was the NHA, which has briefed the competent authority and not the CAA
and it (CAA) has no link with the construction of road. He held that the
NHA’s surveyors brought their maps and discussed some proposed routes,
and one was approved, but the NHA sought more time to finalize it. “It
was discussed that the road to such a big airport should not pass
through small streets and houses, instead, it should be a highway,”
Gerdaizi said. He maintained that in his personal view, this road should
be a highway and not a street passage.
The NHA Chairman,
Shahid Ashraf Tarar, was tried to be contacted for three consecutive
days but was not available for his comments. The News sent a
questionnaire through fax to his office at fax number 051-9260404. His
personal assistant (on 051-9260417) confirmed to The News that the fax
was received and placed before the NHA chairman on Wednesday but was
never responded.
