Hoti says BRT launched to hide corruption in Green Peshawar Project

NOWSHERA: Awami National Party (ANP) provincial president Ameer Haider Hoti on Thursday said the Bus Rapid Project (BRT) Project had been launched in a haste to conceal corruption committed in the Clean and Green Peshawar Project.
Talking to party workers after offering condolence to ANP district vice-president Abdul Samad Khan over the death of his sister, the nationalist politician said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan used to call the Metro Bus Project in Punjab a ‘jangla bus’ but now the party-led government was constructing the same in Peshawar.
He said the whole project was being developed on loans taken from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). He said the plants planted under the Clean and Green Peshawar Project had been uprooted to conceal the corruption of millions of rupees in that project.
The former chief minister said that huge funds were spent on the Clean and Green Project and termed it a waste of people’s money. “The government also lacked planning and the Clean and Green Peshawar Project is its example. The government spent millions to develop the project and now the plants are being destroyed to build the BRT,” he added.
Haider Hoti said the province was facing severe financial crises and the government was unable to provide Rs10 billion to purchase medicines and other equipment for hospitals. He said the incumbent provincial government failed to carry out development work in the province.
Haider Hoti said a comparison between the performance of the previous ANP-led government and incumbent PTI-led government would clearly prove that we had done well.
The nationalist politician also criticised Imran Khan for, he argued, siding with provincial Minister for Revenue Ali Amin Gandapur in the Dera Islami Khan girl’s stripping case, which showed the double-standards of the party.
Haider Hoti rejected the demand for early election, saying election should be held on time. He said the ANP would not accept anyone to assume power through unfair means. He said that confrontation among the state institutions would hurt the country. The ANP leader urged the party workers to stay united and not pay heed to rumours about award of party tickets to candidates for the next elections, adding the party’s parliamentary board would award tickets after consulting the local party workers.