Future Of LRMTS is Uncertain

Punjab government sources pointed out in a dejected tone that the Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif has put the project of Lahore Rapid Mass Transit System (LRMTS) on the backburner despite a heavy spending of Rs 1.0 billion on its designing by the previous government of Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi.

Instead of asking for speed up the development work, according to the sources, the Punjab Chief Minister has directed an evaluation of the project before proceeding any further on the project. Fears are getting high with every passing day that the spending of Rs 1 billion from the public exchequer would go unnoticed if such unnecessary delays are attributed to the fate of the project.

Interestingly, the Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had himself initiated the idea of LRMTS back in 1996-99. However, further development took place the regime of Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi. Now when the policy makers are pulling a long over shelving of the LRMTS, the Chief Minister Punjab has initiated another Rs 50 billion idea of Lahore-Rawalpindi Elevated Express Highway while desiring from the infrastructure planners to put all their energies to make it a success story.

It may be noted that the Punjab government is already executing Rs 100 billion Ring Road project, a major spending of which is again on the provincial capital.Therefore, a total spending of about Rs 150 billion on developing infrastructure of Lahore and areas adjacent to it has resulted into a deep sense of deprivation among under developed regions of the province. The planning developers of the province are of the view that one major reason behind this deprivation is the highly selfish approach of the public representatives from those regions.

It is worth noting here that the road development fund allocated for the whole Punjab for 2008-09 is Rs 18 billion, out of which Rs 13 billion is to be spent on maintenance and repairing of existing roads, Rs 2 billion for new roads and Rs 3 billion to appease the MNAs and MPAs.