Second phase of probe into mega project: FIA’s special team inspects various sections of BRT

PESHAWAR: A special team of the Federal Investigation Agency inspected various sections of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in the second phase of the probe into the mega project on the directives of the Peshawar High Court (PHC).

It was learnt that a special five-member team under Deputy Director Rizwan Shah visited the bus terminal to examine the condition or work and the standard of buses and other machinery installed.

The team inspected various sections of the BRT project and received a briefing from the officials concerned, it was learnt. The FIA constituted the special team, under the supervision of the additional director, anti-corruption FIA Mian Saeed Ahmad, last month to investigate the high-level case on the directives of the PHC.

The inquiry team is to complete the probe within the coming two weeks as the 45 days timeline given by the PHC is going to end in mid-January. A source said that the record of Transport and Planning and Development departments would be collected and the officials concerned would be inquired in the coming few days.

The FIA team is also to summon some top officials mentioned in the judgment of the court about the project in the coming days before completing their job. In the first phase, the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) handed over record to the FIA while some of the senior officials including former director generals recorded their statements before the inquiry team last week.

The FIA has also hired consultants to examine the record and the technical details of the project that has been under criticism for the last many months due to slow pace of work, frequent changes to the design, causing traffic jams and costing a huge amount.

A PHC bench headed by Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth in November, last year had directed the FIA to probe the 35 BRT points and directed the agency to complete the investigation in 45 days.