A report :
The inauguration of Metro Bus Service (MBS) Project is likely to be delayed till the first week of January 2013, due to installment of escalators at 27 stations along the route of the MBS, The News has learnt.
Though the Punjab government had not formally announced launching date of the MBS but in various meetings, the chief minister had expressed his desire to launch the mega project on the birthday of father of the nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, on December 25.
MPA Saeed Elahi also confirmed to The News that MBS would not be functional by December 25. He, however, hinted that a section of MBS might be started on trial basis by December 25. “It was the utmost wish of the CM to launch MBS on the birthday of Quaid-e-Azam”, Saeed said adding that total cost of the project was estimated Rs 29.8 billion and people who were claiming its cost would touch Rs 70 to 80 billion were lying. “There is no reality in such claims”, he maintained.
The sources said that keeping in view installment of the new facility, the escalators, to facilitate children, elderly and disabled people the project would not be functional by December 25.
Contrary to this view, sources, attached with the construction work of the project, were of the view that MBS project was delayed due to its non-completion by December 25 rather anything else. This project could not be completed till December 25 in a very short span of time the Punjab government had given to us, they maintained.
Source in Punjab Metro Bus Authority (PMBA), wished not to be named, has said that MBS will be functional either in the last week of December or the first week of the coming year.
According to him, inauguration of MBS even by first week of January would be a record vis-à-vis time duration for completion of this mega project. Citing the example of completion of a 42km long metro in Turkey which took 36 months in its completion, he claimed that completion of MBS even in first week of January would be a record.
Rejecting the rumours that in the first phase only two stations would start functioning by December 25, he said all the stations of the MBS would be operational at once. “Before the formal launch a test run will also be conducted”, he said adding but security of the 27km long route would be handed over to security company concerned by December 25.
However, security plan of the project is still in doldrums as Security 2000, a private company to whom Punjab government has awarded tender of MBS Security, has not sent its security personnel for training at Elite Training School so far.
Sources also revealed that Punjab government has awarded tender of security of MBS project to Security 2000 but interestingly, the sources said the security company, which supposed to look after security of 27-Kilometer long metro bus route, had not sent any personnel for training as yet because it had not completed its recruitment process so far.
Earlier this month, chairing a meeting CM Shahbaz Sharif had announced setting up a central control room to monitor the entire route of the bus service and the bus stations. He had said the latest closed-circuit television cameras would be installed along the route and monitored in the control room while strict security arrangements would be made for the stations. He also set up a committee led by home secretary to make medium-term and long-term security plans for the MBS.
Talking with The News Faisal Ali of Security 2000 said that around 250-300 security personnel would be required for security purposes of MBS adding security guards would be deployed at every station or terminal for that purpose 24 hours/seven days a week. “I cannot tell exactly how many security personnel would be deployed for security purposes at MBS route until the project is completed”, he said. He said his company would also insure that no passenger could travel at MBS without getting a ticket.
To a question, Faisal said personnel of his company would be sent to Elite Training School for training so that they could get necessary training there. “All the security personnel would be retired army men so they would be trained in seven to ten days at the School”, he said adding around 50 to 60 women would also be part of the whole security squad to be deployed at MBS routes. SP Security Abdul Ghaffar Qaisarani, while talking with The News, said that keeping in view the sensitive places including Data Darbaar Shrine, Punjab Civil Secretariat and GC University, police were fully aware of its responsibilities regarding security adding police had a well recovery force to counter any untoward incident.
He said final security plan for MBS would be made after the completion of the project. “When the project would complete then we could decide how many security personnel are required for the project”, SP added.