The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday set aside the order of Peshawar High Court (PHC) directing the National Accountability Bureau to probe different aspects of the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) project. The case in speculation had been petitioned by KPK Chief Secretary, Secretary Local Government and Rural Development and Secretary Transport Department, who had jointly filed an appeal under Article 185(3) of Constitution against Fazli Karim Khan and others, DG Peshawar Development Authority and Project Director Rapid Bus Transit (BRT). The Supreme Court remarked that the NAB would not be able to investigate the BRT project as the decision of the Peshawar High Court was based on speculation.
The order of the PHC may have been dismissed but the issues of the BRT and the very glaring financial errors that have accrued over its induction will not simply go away with the SC dismissal. The Asian Development Bank found several deadly flaws in the project, including the observation that the KP government significantly deviated from the original, agreed design and used inferior quality material in the Rs70 billion Peshawar metro bus project. These are flaws which not only require financial accountability but need to be immediately corrected so that lives and the environment are not put at further risk. According to the ADB, BRT buses could collide at stations number 10, 12, 15 and 26 during operations because the lane width is less than the minimum requirement of 6.5 metres.
The BRT has also amassed bad press because of its repeated failures to adhere to deadlines during construction, thus directly impacting the lives of Peshawar’s residents. The extremely expensive cost of the BRT also makes it even more pertinent to further investigate the project. Especially now that the government is considering building a BRT in Karachi as well, more insight into the mistakes of the past could help in avoiding repetition. The SC decision should be reviewed, if possible.
