Islamabad’s bureaucracy struggling to keep pace with a workaholic Prime Minister
Zubair Qureshi
Only a day after the oath-taking ceremony of new Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the civil bureaucracy of Islamabad woke up on Tuesday to the new reality that they would have to keep pace with a prime minister who works with a supersonic speed and doesn’t believe in putting off the things for tomorrow.
On the first day in office, PM Shehbaz chaired a number of meetings regarding the economic situation of the country, progress on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), provision of relief for the poor during the month of Ramazan. A separate meeting was held on development of Islamabad and pace of various projects related to the city’s civic and administrative affairs.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the Chairman of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) Amir Ahmed Ali to make sure the work on Metro Bus from Peshawar Morr G-9/4 to the International Airport of Islamabad is completed in next couple of days and the Metro Bus services is launched within next five days.
On Saturday, I want to inaugurate the bus service, said the prime minister adding he would not tolerate any delay, an official who attended the meeting quoted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as saying.
The Metro Bus project from Peshawar Mor to Airport has been pending for the last four years and despite giving a number of dates and claims that all requirements have been met, the bus service has not been launched so far.
According to an official who attended the meeting, Prime Minister Sharif expressed his dismay at the work that is going at snail’s pace and made it clear that it was not his style of work. “I need results not reports,” said the prime minister.
Pakistan Observer a couple of days earlier had also asked the Chairman CDA to give an expected date of the formal launch of the Metro Bus service to which the CDA chairman Amir Ahmed Ali replied he would check with the relevant people and then inform. However, later he didn’t reply.
Last month, it was announced by the CDA that the trial run of Metro Bus Service would be undertaken during the first week of April.
A spokesman of CDA said that third-party inspection of buses purchased for the project has already been completed in China. It would take 20 days for the ship to reach Karachi from where it will be brought to Islamabad, he had said.
In the first phase, 15 buses painted in orange colour would be dispatched to Pakistan and arrive in Islamabad within 20 days.
The official said regular metro bus service from Peshawar Mor to Islamabad International Airport would start between April 15 and 20.
In all, 30 buses would run on the route, it has been further learnt.
