RAWALPINDI: The Punjab Transport and Masstransit Department has asked the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to clear the outstanding amount of Rs6 billion in terms of subsidy provided to passengers who use the metro bus service.

In addition to this Rs6 billion, the Punjab transport department has also asked the Islamabad civic body to coordinate with the Punjab Masstransit Authority to provide Rs900 million for the rehabilitation of the metro track in the federal capital.

A senior official of the Punjab transport department told Dawn that the department wrote a letter to the CDA, but has yet to receive a response. He said that the Punjab Masstransit Authority highlighted its concerns over the CDA response to the deteriorated condition of the metro corridor in the capital. He said the CDA should provide its share of funds so the repair work could start in its jurisdiction.

About the Rawalpindi metro track repairs, the official said that 97 per cent work had been completed and the remaining work would be completed within two more weeks. It may be mentioned that the rehabilitation work that started in July 2024 was supposed to be completed by December 31. Now it’s likely to end by January 31.

Official says Rs6 billion owed besides Rs900 million needed to start repairs on Islamabad metro track

According to a 2016 agreement, the CDA is supposed to maintain the metro track in its jurisdiction. He said that the PMA has already transferred Rs718.94 million to the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) for the maintenance of the corridor from Saddar to Faizabad. “…the CDA has neither provided Rs943.54 million for the maintenance…nor taken up such works on its own.” He said the CDA had not provided an amount of Rs14 million to engage a consultant for leakages/seepage issues at Chaman and Ibn-e-Sina, Parade Ground, Pak Secretariat metro stations.

Similarly, the CDA did not contribute to the subsidy and owed almost Rs6 billion accumulated over the past few years.

According to the official, clause 3 of the contract agreement dated December 15, 2016, which delineates the responsibility of each party, requires the CDA to ensure timely advance payments for meeting the revenue and expenditure gap/subsidy of the metro bus service. The official said the CDA had not been making these payments in advance and owed Rs6.3 billion.

The official said the CDA had made certain modifications at Faiz Ahmed Faiz Metro Station, which seemed to be a safety hazard. The temporary setup of platform screen doors (PSDs) implemented by the CDA reportedly malfunctioned, and those were removed from the site. He said that this modification had left the boarding area exposed, significantly compromising passengers’ safety.

Punjab Masstransit Authority General Manager Operations Uzair Shah told Dawn that the CDA had been contacted many times to repair the track from Faizabad to Pakistan Secretariat, but no response was received.

He said that CDA had to clear its share of over Rs6 billion, which had been pending for the last few years. He said that in the past, the CDA had given Rs2 billion and then Rs1 billion. But since then, the agency has not made any payments.

In response to a question regarding the subsidy, CDA spokesperson Shahid Kiani said, “As of now, Rs6.94 billion is required from the Ministry of Finance to settle the federal government’s liabilities. For the fiscal year 2024-2025, an allocation of Rs3 billion has been included in the federal PSDP. This amount will be disbursed to the PMA once it is released by the federal government.”

Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2025