32 stations handed over to Trans Peshawar; citizen could travel on BRT from April: Shaukat

F.P. Report

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Information Shaukat Yousafzai has said that Peshawar BRT is in the final stages of completion, civil work and building work have been completed on February 15 and 32 stations including command and control system have been handed over to Trans-Peshawar.

The minister said that electricity power connections have been completed, ticket booths are being built and 50 buses are being drive daily from Hayatabad to Chamkani for rehearsal drive so that if any error is left then that can be removed.

Talking to the media here, the minister said that it was great news for Peshawar that the BRT project was going to be completed under the leadership of Chief Minister Mahmood Khan. The opposition has strongly criticized the BRT that it has corruption and it cannot be completed but by the grace of Allah, the project is about to be completed and would become operational in April this year.

He said that work on the ITS installation is underway which will be completed by the end of March. He said that BRT was planned to facilitate poor people in traveling and we will invite those who criticize the project to travel with us in it in April.

Shaukat Yousafzai criticized former Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for his tweet in which he said that the price of BRT is higher than Lahore, Multan and Islamabad metro and said that if Shahbaz Sharif is true then he should prove it. Peshawar BRT is Third Generation Metro while Lahore is Second Generation Metro and facilities are also higher in BRT but still BRT, per kilometer is cheaper than Lahore Metro.

Shaukat Yousafzai said that Lahore Metro is built at around Rs 40 billion eight years ago, while Peshawar BRT is being built at around Rs 35 billion in 2020 and the Lahore Metro is just one road, while the Peshawar BRT covers the entire city from Chamkani to Hayatabad, which will reduce traffic congestion in the city.

The Lahore Metro is really a jungla bus because junglas have been set up on the common road, while Peshawar BRT is Third Generation Metro, which is considered to be one of the world’s latest metro. He said that due to parking facility in Chamkani, people coming from Mardan, Swabi, Malakand and Abbottabad can park their vehicles there and travel on this bus which will reduce the traffic in the city.

He said that credit goes to the Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, who, despite all the criticism, continued to work on the project day and night, and there is no justification left for criticism on BRT with opposition.