FPCCI demands speeding up metro bus project

Islamabad: The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry on Sunday demanded of the government to complete metro bus project in time as delays have hit the business activities in twin cities badly.

All the businesses in Islamabad have suffered but the Blue Area is worst hit where many traders have gone bankrupt while hundreds are on the verge, said Mian Akram Farid, Vice President FPCCI.

Speaking to a twenty-five member delegation of the traders of Blue Area, led by their Chairman Malik Saghir Ahmed who came to congratulate him and Chairman Coordination FPCCI Malik Sohail on assuming charge, he said that ill planned metro bus project construction has created a new challenge for the business community.

Chairman Metro Bus Project Committee Hanif Abbasi had assured the business community on various forums that the project would be completed two months ahead of the due date that was January 2015 which proved futile, he said.

Main Akram Farid said that many roads in Islamabad are closed owing to the construction work on the project resulting in scarcity of customers and transport issues. He said the schools will be reopened tomorrow but due to the closure of main arteries in the city, commuters have to face severe inconvenience.

Speaking on the occasion Malik Saghir said that the busy business centre of Blue Area is giving a deserted look, adding that roads in Islamabad are deteriorating due to the frequent movement of heavy trucks even on service roads.He asked the Metro Bus Project management and CDA to look into these problems and take urgent measures to speed up the pace of work for completion of the project.

The delegation included Liaquat Noon, Haji Naeem, Yusuf Rajput, Syed Amin Pirzada, Hameed Abbasi, Fahim Khan, Ch. Aslam, Muhammad Kaleem, Raja Hassan Akhtar and others who said that they would stage a sit-in if u-turn was not made in Blue Area immediately.