Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai has said that the increase in dollar benefits Pakistan greatly as we only have to pay in rupees, not in dollars.
While addressing the media on Wednesday, the KP minister said that the 3 billion rupees increase in Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project due to rupee devaluation has not affected the national treasury, as we have paid that amount from our savings.
“The increase in dollar value has increased the cost of BRT by Rs3 billion and at the same time helped us save over Rs3 billion because we only have to pay that amount in rupees, not in dollars”, the minister said.
Shaukat also said that all those saying that the rupee devaluation is going to increase the amout have no idea what they are talking about.
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Meanwhile, Peshawar metro bus project misses its 6th deadline
The Pakistan Tehreeke Insaf (PTI) led KP government has missed its sixth deadline despite announcements by the KP information minister that the project would be completed in time.
Shaukat Yousafzai had earlier claimed that the project would be completed in 2020 and people would start getting its benefits from next year.
He also claimed that 87% work on the mega project has been completed, adding that 30 stations had been finalised, while work on the remaining 10 stations was underway.
Earlier, the minister had said the project would be finished by December this year, but reports claimed that the flagship project of the PTI government was unlikely to be completed in December, citing completion of only 16 stations out of over 40.
Moreover, three bus depots made for Peshawar BRT were reportedly also under construction.
“Even 10 per cent work has not been done on the Haytabad bus depot. No work has been done on the route from Hayatabad to Karkhano Market,” claim reports.
