CDA strikes a ‘face-saving’ agreement

[LahoreEstate]

Sunday, March 22, 2009
Mobarik A. Virk

Islamabad

While the contractors engaged in the construction of the Jinnah Avenue-Faisal Avenue Flyover, M/s MATRACON-XB Joint Venture, seem all set to bring the Capital Development Authority (CDA) down upon its knees and accept their demands, the chairman of the authority managed to strike a ‘face saving’ deal to resolve the issue of opening of the already much delayed flyover by the given deadline of March 23.

According to the sources in the CDA following the recent meeting during the site visit the contractors eventually agreed to open the ‘northern side’ of the flyover for traffic by March 23 and throw open the whole project for traffic flow by March 31.

Meanwhile, it is also evident that the contractors are dragging their feet in completion of the ‘slip road’ facing the Khyber Plaza in Blue Area, an important link which will help the motorists intending to take the Pindi-bound Faisal Avenue from the Jinnah Avenue.

The contractors seemed to be paying little attention over the last couple of months to meet the deadline of March 23 to complete the project, a move clearly aimed at embarrassing the authority. The representative of the contractors had been openly saying that the job could not be accomplished unless and until the payment of the bills already submitted by them to the CDA were cleared.

However, Chairman Tariq Mahmood Khan, seemed to have stood his ground and refused to budge to all the pressure mounted on the authority for not only clearance of the bills but also to grant yet another extension for completion of work on this particular project that has already been granted two extensions.

“I am not going to grant any further extension for the completion of this project. In fact I have not granted any extension because the extension was granted and the deadline of March 23 was set for completing the project by the former chairman,” the CDA chairman said.

“Similarly, I don’t think that non-clearance of a few bills submitted by the contractors could be presented as a valid reason to stop work and delay the project. Such ‘arm twisting tactics’ are not acceptable to the CDA at all. In fact it would reflect adversely on the performance of the contractors’ financial stability if they are interested in carrying out any more future projects in the federal capital in collaboration with the CDA,” Chairman Tariq Mahmood told ‘The News’.

But the representative of M/s MATRACON-XB Joint Venture still seemed to be taking chances with the CDA, as, while talking to ‘The News’ he said that the flyover would be fully opened (both sides) for traffic not before April 5, 2009 while the ‘slip road’ opposite the Khyber Plaza, linking Jinnah Avenue with the Faisal Avenue would not be ready before April 15.

“We have been telling them time and again that unless and until our payments are not cleared we cannot guarantee completion of this project. Even this new arrangement agreed with the CDA chairman during his recent visit to the site is subject to clearance of our payments,” the representative of the contractor told ‘The News’, as he clearly showed intentions of picking up a confrontation with the authority at the last stages of the project completion.

The Member (Engineering) of the CDA, Engineer Tahir Shamshad, when contacted told ‘The News’ that the contractor have been told to complete the project in full by March 31.

“We have agreed to grant this extension of about a week’s time to them (the contractors) in face of the genuine reasons like the blockade during ‘long march’ by the lawyers. Everybody knows that during that period not only the city was sealed off and the entrance of heavy traffic, all the trucks, dumpers and loaders were banned but these trucks and dumpers were also impounded by the administration.

“So, keeping in view that situation, which obviously is a genuine reason, the CDA has agreed to extend the completion date from March 23 to March 31,” the Member (Engineering) told ‘The News’.

However, he added, the CDA has directed the contractors to open at least the northern side of the flyover for traffic. “That is being done to ease the traffic flow which would also be helpful in execution of the remaining work under the flyover. We will make necessary arrangements to maintain a smooth two-way flow of traffic on the ‘northern side’ when it would be opened and we also hope that the Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) as well as the public will extend cooperation as well,” Engineer Tahir Shamshad said.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=168557