ISLAMABAD:The dualization and improvement project of Old Bannu Road, a crucial road connecting several cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, is facing several issues and impediments.
According to sources of National Highway Authority (NHA), the KPK Forest Department seemed to be slow in removing trees along the road, which is delaying the project. The relocation of utilities by Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) had also been pushed back, causing more setbacks in the project’s timeline.
Furthermore, the relocation of schools and madrassa structures has been hindered due to the non-availability of funds and in addition to that resources have also been diverted to flood-affected areas, which has affected the progress of the project.
Additionally, there has been an above-normal increase in the construction material required for the highway, adding to the overall cost of the project. The PC-1 of the project has also been revised, which has added to the delays.
Despite the challenges, the project is expected to make progress, with 20 kilometers of the road likely to be substantially completed by June 2023 in both Package-01 and Package-02. However, a substantial amount of approximately Rs7 billion needs to be allocated in the next fiscal year to complete the remaining work of the project.