RAWALPINDI: Addressing the ground-breaking ceremony of the Metro Bus Service here on Sunday, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif said terrorism was taking its toll on Pakistan due to the wrong policies of the martial law regime, and expressed his determination to steer the country out of its crises.
The prime minister lauded the role of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for the development of his province and assured all possible assistance to the provincial government in the completion of project.
He said the project will be extended to the divisional level and a Multan Metro Bus service will be started in the next phase.Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, federal ministers, members of the national and provincial assemblies and senior government officials attended the ceremony.
Earlier, the PM laid the foundation stone of the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metro Bus Service Project. The over Rs44 billion project is being implemented as per the vision of the prime minister and Punjab chief minister to provide an international standard mass transit system to the twin cities.
The federal and provincial governments will contribute 50 percent each of the total cost. The project will benefit over 150,000 commuters traveling between the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi daily.
Nawaz unveiled the plaquefor the project that would be completed in 10 months. He vowed to bring about a positive change in the lives of the common man. “People will soon see this change,” he said and mentioned a number of similar other development projects. These included the motorway up to Karachi, the Islamabad-Muzaffarabad train service and the New Islamabad International Airport, which would be completed next year.
He said the government was also working on a plan to end power loadshedding and would add 22,000MW electricity in the next four years.Nawaz said talks with the Taliban were going ahead at a satisfactory pace and hoped that a meeting would be held between the two sides in a day or two. “There will be peace and the country will get rid of extremism and terrorism,” he added.
He said terrorism, corruption, unemployment, indiscipline and poverty had now become the order of the day. He regretted that the country wasted a great deal of time and nothing much was achieved in any area. He said Pakistan did witness short stints of development when his government twice came to power in the ’90s.
“The nuclear programme and the motorway were just some examples of my previous government,” he added. Thereafter the governments of the day, he added, did little to serve the masses.
He said the country’s economic indicators were positive and he had directed the federal finance minister to ensure that the rate of the US dollar against the rupee remained stable, a little below Rs100. He said the Metro Bus Project was a reflection of his government’s commitment to provide the best possible services for the residents of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
“Despite the fact that the number of PML-N seats in the twin cities have halved, we have doubled our services for the people,” he added.
Nawaz Sharif further said though the deadline for the completion of the project was short and it was no ordinary feat, he had firm faith in the abilities of the chief minister to accomplish this gigantic task within a short period of 10 months.
Referring to the earlier agreed upon 50-50 fund-sharing formula for the project between the provincial and federal governments, he assured the support of the federal government after Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif pointed out that the cost of the project in Rawalpindi would be much higher, and the formula needed to be revised.
A documentary shown on the occasion pointed out that there will be no environmental impact of the project as no green area will be affected during the construction of the project and it will not violate the master plan of Islamabad.
The total cost of the project also includes a signal-free interchange at Peshawar Mor, Islamabad, at a cost of Rs4.7 billion that will also be completed in 10 months. The federal and provincial governments will contribute 50 percent each of the total cost. Currently, an estimated 0.5 million people daily commute between Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The service will cater to around 150,000 people daily.
A documentary showed the route of the Metro Bus Service that will start from Flashman’s Hotel Chowk on Murree Road and will end at the Pak Secretariat covering a total distance of 23.2 km passing through the Murree Road. From Faizabad Rawalpindi, the bus will ply on IJP Road, 9th Avenue and Jinnah Avenue, Blue Area and culminate near the Pakistan Secretariat.
The portion of the Metro Bus Service in Rawalpindi from Flashman Hotel to Faizabad, covering a distance of 8.6 km, will be elevated, while in Islamabad 14.6 km will be on the ground, starting from Faizabad to the Pak Secretariat via IJP Road and 9th Avenue. The track will also have 24 modern stations for passengers.
Of these 10 will be on Murree Road and 14 in Islamabad. Initially, 60 buses will ply on the Metro Bus track from Rawalpindi to Islamabad carrying over 150,000 passengers. About 29 kanals of land will be acquired for the project, of which about 20 kanals will be acquired on Murree Road, Rawalpindi.
The premier was informed that in future if the load of passengers increased the metro track could be used for the Metro Train by laying train tracks.The project got a green signal from the prime minister in January this year and following the approval of the project the provincial cabinet, work has been initiated on the project that would provide a international standard mass transit system for the citizens of the twin cities.
Later, acting Prime Minister of Azad and Jammu Kashmir Ch Yaseen presented a cheque for Rs60 million to the PM for the affected people of Thar. The premier appreciated the help and sentiments of the Kashmiri people for their Thar brethren.
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