PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has claimed “Gold Standard BRT Status” for Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) but the claim has stirred anther controversy as the status was awarded by the company which has designed the Peshawar BRT.
The firm, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), has ranked Peshawar BRT as “gold standard”. The ITDP firm had prepared the feasibility and design of Peshawar BRT as a consultant and was the contract worth Rs160 million by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Despite repeated efforts, no PTI spokesperson was available for comments.
A loan of Rs49 billion has been borrowed from the ADB while the provincial government has also obtained a loan from other financial institutions. On page 189 of the feasibility report it is predicted – in 2016 – that if the BRT is completed according to all the components of the design, it will be the first gold standard BRT in South Asia.
But now the BRT was awarded the gold status despite the fact that several components of the design including the cycle track, Khyber Road portion and parking plazas are yet to be completed or lying inactive.
According to sources, the provincial government has “faked” the Gold Standard Award for covering up alleged irregularities in the BRT project. In a nutshell, on the pretense of receiving an international award is aimed at preventing the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to investigate corruption in the project as directed by the Peshawar High Court.
Source said that although objections were raised against the project from the very beginning. The PHC has directed NAB to investigate the project but the PTI government had obtained stay order from the Supreme Court. Now the PHC has directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to investigate the alleged irregularities in the BRT project and complete the investigation within 45 days.
At that time, an Additional Director of Police Services of Pakistan posted in FIA KP Anti-Corruption Circle had prepared and sent the investigation report and identified “serious irregularities” in the project.
In 2016, the firm not only prepared the feasibility and design of Peshawar BRT project but also the same firm was providing consultant services to ADB which has provided Rs49 billion for BRT project.
Who is the award winning Dr Walter Hook?
According to sources, the Chief Executive (CEO) of ITDP Dr Walter Hook has founded a company called BRT Planning International. When the company was awarded the contract of preparation the BRT Feasibility Report (Preliminary Design Report), ITDP along with two other firms hired Dr. Walter Hook’s company at cost of Rs160 million.
Dr Hook is also a member of the technical committee of ITDP, the awarding body of Gold Standard Award, which on February 17 presented the Gold Standard BRT Souvenir to Peshawar BRT.
It was also confirmed by the ADB on February 17 by sharing a photo on its Twitter account in which KP minister for high education Kamran Bangash accompanied by former Chief Minister Pervez Khattak’s Principal Secretary and current Additional Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah.
