KOHAT, Dec 15: The local business community and transporters have expressed anguish over the unusual delay in the completion of an important 35-km-long section of Kohat-Rawalpindi road despite repeated warnings of the governor to the Frontier Highway Authority in this regard, and demanded immediate replacement of the contractor.

The NWFP governor had ordered the widening and construction of the Rawalpindi road section from Cavagnari House up to Gumbat.

The project was to be completed by September 2003, but the contractor has failed to complete even 40 per cent of the work on the road.

The problem is that the contractor instead of completing the project in phases had got the whole road dug up and demolished all the bridges on it to get an early payment from the Frontier Highway Authority (FHA).  

According to sources, the contractor had complained that the FHA was not providing him the required heavy machinery to speed up the work. He had informed the government early this year that the project would be delayed by six months and completed in March 2004.

The contractor had also said that a number of electric poles had to be removed to widen the road, but Pesco’s non-cooperation in this regard was affecting the project pace.

When this matter was raised by local elders at a meeting in the Governor’s House, the governor issued orders to the Pesco chief on the spot to immediately remove the poles and also suspended an FHA official.