FIA takes road project record into custody

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

ISLAMABAD - The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has taken into custody the record pertaining to tendering process and award of work of Rs 3.5 billion Kashmir Highway project, sources informed TheNation.
However, concerned officials of the Capital Development Authority are confident that investigators would find no “substantial” evidence of corruption or irregularity from the record as it was already scrutinised by a court.
“It is a part of the move, FIA has initiated recently against CDA in a bid to create hurdles in the smooth running of affairs of the Authority, as mentioned by CDA Chairman few days ago during the course of proceedings of a standing committee on Cabinet Secretariat,” said an official.
The record that was taken into custody on Saturday include files containing details of tendering process, award of work, agreements with contractors executing work on the project and NID, informed the official.
The work on the project is already come to a standstill following issue of release of funds to the contractors.
According to PC-I of the project the Kashmir Highway would have five lanes on each side from Golra Mor to Peshawar Mor. On each side of the dual carriageway, three lanes flexible and two rigid lanes would be constructed.
The widening of Kashmir Highway project that was kicked off in February 2011 has been facing several hurdles, top of them - release of sufficient funds to the contractors. CDA, so far, has not even managed to clear dues to various utility departments - resultantly they were not removing their installations fall right in the way of the project.
The federal government under the public sector development programme has released Rs100 million to the Authority for the project for ongoing fiscal year 2011-12.
CDA has released approximately Rs90 million as mobilization advance to the contractors executing work on the mega project, while another Rs40 million was released later to the contractor executing work on south carriageway.
“The amount so far the authority has released to the contractors since the start of work is insufficient. And this can be witnessed from the progress on the work on site, as the contractors have only completed approximately 4 percent of the total work during past seven months,” the official said.
The Kashmir Highway widening project has been divided into two parts. A consortium of three firms including Arif & Co, Chaudhry Latif and KK were awarded work of widening on northern carriageway, while Ayub Brothers were awarded work for the south carriageway.
“Already following the irregularities emerged in award of this contract and later the litigation between the contractors has delayed this project and now CDA seems reluctant to release even a single penny out of its own funds,” official lamented.