Delay in LHR-Khanewal dual track to cost PR Rs3b more

LAHORE - The Lahore-Khanewal dual track project cost which was estimated at Rs 8.3 billion at the time of initiation in 2005 has now surged to over Rs 11 billion on account of slow pace of work, The Nation learnt Saturday.
It was also learnt that the delay and other factors would lead the department to face as high as a loss of more than Rs 3 billion in a situation when the PR is already facing losses of about Rs 53 billion only during the current year, the sources add.
For various reasons, the availability of the funds in the main, Railways authorities are yet not able to give any definite timeframe regarding completion of the project, as such the claimed deadline for the year 2010, appears a hard to meet.
The Railway Authorities have decided to lie down double track of 246 kilometers long and the administration was bounded to complete the project till 30th of Jun 2008 while it failed to achieve the goal with in stipulated period set for the completion of the project and could lie down only 80 kilometers of double track from Khanewal to Cheechawatni.
According to sources in the department the Railway authorities approved to stretch out double rail track of about 246 kilometers long and for the purpose they allocated Rs 8.3 billions and in this regard the Railways authorities signed a contract with a Chinese railway track manufacturing company for the purchase of 29 thousand tons of rail track.
They said that Chinese company initially promised to provide 13 thousand tons of rail track but later, the Chinese company insisted the Railway authorities to increase the prices of rail track by taking plea of increasing rates of iron in the international market. However, the Railways authorities in reply refused to accept the demand of Chinese company due to which they cancelled the contract, the sources added.
Later, sources disclosed that shortage of funds and cancellation of contract with China compelled the authorities to extend date for the completion of such project by the 31st of December 2008. But, the authorities again failed to achieve the goal as per their claims to complete the project in stipulated period.
In this regard, the Railways Project Director Doubling Abdul Samad maintained that the authorities started the said project for the purpose to minimize the distance between Karachi and Lahore. However, the authorities concerned have ordered to open and use the double track from Khanewal to Cheechawatni and the orders implemented.
He further claimed that track from Cheechawatni to Sahiwal or to Okara would be completed by the end of 2009. However, he admitted that the entire project could not be completed even till 2010 due to shortage of funds with the Railways.