Pervaiz accuses govt of scrapping mass transit plan
Former Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi claimed that the provincial govt has ruined a $2.4bn investment in the city. — File Photo by APP
Former Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi claimed that the provincial govt has ruined a $2.4bn investment in the city. — File Photo by APP
Sunday, 24 Jan, 2010
LAHORE: Taking first leave from his otherwise high-pitched idiosyncratic politics, former chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on Saturday briefed the media on his “Mass Transit System for Lahore and how the Shahbaz Sharif government abandoned it, damaging a $2.4 billion investment in the city”. With a detailed presentation on his plan, he said that had the current rulers not jettisoned it, the city traffic could have an altogether different look. The Asian Development Bank and private sector had agreed to put $1 billion each in the project, and the Punjab government $400 million. With such a huge investment on the city traffic system, it could have been revolutionised totally.
LAHORE: Taking first leave from his otherwise high-pitched idiosyncratic politics, former chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on Saturday briefed the media on his “Mass Transit System for Lahore and how the Shahbaz Sharif government abandoned it, damaging a $2.4 billion investment in the city”. With a detailed presentation on his plan, he said that had the current rulers not jettisoned it, the city traffic could have an altogether different look. The Asian Development Bank and private sector had agreed to put $1 billion each in the project, and the Punjab government $400 million. With such a huge investment on the city traffic system, it could have been revolutionised totally.
Creation of thousands of jobs and cutting hugely on city pollution could have been added advantages. “But the current PML-N government has abandoned it only because it was started by our government, regardless of public welfare,” he said. Detailing the contours of the project, he said it included 97 kilometres of underground and elevated passages. In the first phase, it had to link Hamza Town on Ferozepur Road to Shahdara.
The PML-Q government had planned to complete it before 2011 but the current PML-N government simply lost interest and let the ADB loan expire in June 2009. The project has the capacity to cater to 35,000 passengers every hour, which makes it 350,000 commuters in ten hours. “It is a criminal negligence and we are taking our case to the people of Punjab to assess for themselves who was, or is, serving them better,” he said. Flanked by Chaudhry Zaheeruddin, the opposition leader, he said his party would protest the prevailing situation on the flour of the Punjab Assembly in its current session.
The project was well studied and thought out. The urban reliance on public transport system in Lahore is almost 60 per cent. In Vietnam, where such reliance was only 20 per cent, it rose rapidly with the introduction of Rapid Mass Transit System. In India Rapid Mass Transit System started of in Kolkata and Delhi. The Delhi Metro is now the second largest underground rapid transit system in India. Due to the introduction of Rapid Mass Transit System, the Indian society has witnessed a rapid economic, social and cultural transformation. For the financial year ending March 2008, it reported operating revenues of Rs3 billion ($62.89 million), with a profit of $4.12 million. Lahore, with a population of over 9 million, is the country’s second largest city with a growth rate of four per cent. Its transport system, which has horizontal not vertical growth, is poorly developed and under-maintained. Due to high economic growth during 2002-07, the vehicle ownership growth also accelerated, leading to increased congestion, poor environment and degradation in quality of life.
Diverse traffic mix and a lack of traffic and pedestrian discipline exacerbated the situation. According to an international survey, more than 1.35 million passenger trips take place in Lahore daily. Elahi said the city was suffering an annual loss of $100 million due to the absence of a rapid, efficient, convenient, time and fuel saving mode of transportation. It had been a huge set back to real estate development and environmental pollution control and contributed to the flight of foreign capital and international investments.
“Every concerned-citizen of Lahore must ask the current provincial government what made it dump the project of public welfare for political and personal reasons,” he concluded.
PML-N rejects claim
Senator Pervez Rashid has contradicted the statement of former chief minister Pervaiz Elahi claiming that the present government has suspended the Lahore Rapid Mass Transit System (LRMTS) project.
According to a press release issued by the DGPR, the PML-N senator said that practically the LRMTS project did not exist during Pervaiz Elahi’s regime.
However, Rs550 million were embezzled in the name of preparation of feasibility report and a suspect in this case, who was arrested in Dubai, had been brought back to Pakistan.
Senator Rashid said the Punjab government had already sent this case to NAB a year ago.
He said that the government in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank was going to initiate most modern mass transit project in Lahore.
The PML-Q government had planned to complete it before 2011 but the current PML-N government simply lost interest and let the ADB loan expire in June 2009. The project has the capacity to cater to 35,000 passengers every hour, which makes it 350,000 commuters in ten hours. “It is a criminal negligence and we are taking our case to the people of Punjab to assess for themselves who was, or is, serving them better,” he said. Flanked by Chaudhry Zaheeruddin, the opposition leader, he said his party would protest the prevailing situation on the flour of the Punjab Assembly in its current session.
The project was well studied and thought out. The urban reliance on public transport system in Lahore is almost 60 per cent. In Vietnam, where such reliance was only 20 per cent, it rose rapidly with the introduction of Rapid Mass Transit System. In India Rapid Mass Transit System started of in Kolkata and Delhi. The Delhi Metro is now the second largest underground rapid transit system in India. Due to the introduction of Rapid Mass Transit System, the Indian society has witnessed a rapid economic, social and cultural transformation. For the financial year ending March 2008, it reported operating revenues of Rs3 billion ($62.89 million), with a profit of $4.12 million. Lahore, with a population of over 9 million, is the country’s second largest city with a growth rate of four per cent. Its transport system, which has horizontal not vertical growth, is poorly developed and under-maintained. Due to high economic growth during 2002-07, the vehicle ownership growth also accelerated, leading to increased congestion, poor environment and degradation in quality of life.
Diverse traffic mix and a lack of traffic and pedestrian discipline exacerbated the situation. According to an international survey, more than 1.35 million passenger trips take place in Lahore daily. Elahi said the city was suffering an annual loss of $100 million due to the absence of a rapid, efficient, convenient, time and fuel saving mode of transportation. It had been a huge set back to real estate development and environmental pollution control and contributed to the flight of foreign capital and international investments.
“Every concerned-citizen of Lahore must ask the current provincial government what made it dump the project of public welfare for political and personal reasons,” he concluded.
PML-N rejects claim
Senator Pervez Rashid has contradicted the statement of former chief minister Pervaiz Elahi claiming that the present government has suspended the Lahore Rapid Mass Transit System (LRMTS) project.
According to a press release issued by the DGPR, the PML-N senator said that practically the LRMTS project did not exist during Pervaiz Elahi’s regime.
However, Rs550 million were embezzled in the name of preparation of feasibility report and a suspect in this case, who was arrested in Dubai, had been brought back to Pakistan.
Senator Rashid said the Punjab government had already sent this case to NAB a year ago.
He said that the government in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank was going to initiate most modern mass transit project in Lahore.
4 comments:
Mr. Elahi thanks for this update ... but can you tell y didn't u start it as it was delayed three to four times. It was suppose to be inaugurated in July 2008 than delayed ... than Nov 2008 . again delayed ... so not u and neither this Sharif Govt is loyal to city ..... u both are same
Sorry the dates are July 2007 & Nov 2007 when Pervez Elahi was Chief Minister
the plan can be useful and it can make the whole world good.
thanks
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