RAWALPINDI: The Metro Bus project Package-II management has opened the eastern side of Committee Chowk-Sixth road section of the project for traffic after reconstruction and carpeting of the Murree Road.
Talking to media here on Sunday, the Package-II Site Chief, Malik Muhammad Arif said that one side of the section has been opened for traffic and it would help the citizens especially patients visiting the Benazir Bhutto Hospital, one of the city’s allied hospitals, from far-flung areas of the Rawalpindi Division.
While, construction work on the western side was launched from Sunday and it would be completed on war-footing with the deployment of additional workforce, he added.
He said the National Logistics Cell (NLC), which is contractor of the Metro Bus Service (MBS) Package-II, was confident and committed to timely complete the task given to construct the elevated track and reconstruction of the Murree road from Sixth road to Committee Chowk.
“Our assignment has entered the final phase as we have completed the 97 per cent construction work at the site,” he claimed.
Besides, Malik said the Package-II engineers have completed the first Metro Bus terminal at the Chandni Chowk using modern techniques, designs and equipping it with latest facilities for commuters. “International standard of construction is being maintained in the project,” he added.
Malik said the entire civil works at the Package-II site has been finished, while a full-strength work force has been simultaneously deployed for Asphalt at various sections of the main Murree road.
“More than 80 per cent work on drains and medians has been completed at the places from where the civic bodies have shifted their utility services at the alternate site,” he said.
Replying to a question, the Package-II Site Chief maintained that there was no complacency whatsoever on part of the NLC at any stage of the project rather it completed various components well ahead of other contractors.
Malik said the construction teams had completed the piles and their caps in October and become the first executing agency having finished different phases of the project within the given timeframe.
He said high voltage transmission lines passing through Waris Khan-Chandni Chowk section of the site were removed in mid-September 2014, following which work could be resumed to erect pillars for the elevated track, while the mess was cleared from the pedestrian bridge’s stairs at the Rehmanabad terminal in last week of February this year. Boundary wall of the Benazir Bhutto Hospital was reconstructed and shifted under the land acquisition formula in July14, 2014. While the land issue on eastern side of Waris Khan Bus Station and Chandni Chowk was cleared in November and August 14 last year respectively.
He said that these impediments were duly acknowledged by Commissioner Rawalpindi Zahid Saeed, who held several meetings with the departments concerned for speedy shifting of utility service at the alternate place and clear the site for carrying out the construction in a smooth manner.
He said that the full-scale work was in progress on all eight packages of the MBS Project and assured that the NLC would not lag behind other contractors or become cause of any delay in overall completion of the mega project.
INP
