Peshawar BRT faces suspension as crisis deepens

PESHAWAR: Five private companies running the Peshawar BRT have threatened to stop the operations due to the provincial government’s failure to pay around Rs1 billion in dues.

In a letter penned to KP government, the operator had warned the provincial authorities of closing the Peshawar Bus Transit on June 3 if the government had failed to pay the dues to the operator before Wednesday.

The North-South Travels (Pvt) Limited, and East-West Transport (Pvt) Limited, drew the government’s attention to the issue of the non-payment of dues.

“This delay has an adverse effect on the operational expenses (procurement of diesel, lubricants and parts, related to electricity and salaries) to the company for the BRT Peshawar operation,” the operator had said in the letter.

Read more: NAB initiates probe into alleged corruption in BRT Peshawar

The letter says that the government is bound to release payment against monthly invoices within each month.

It is pertinent to mention here that the KP government had stopped the payment to the operator as its lease agreement with the authorities for the Peshawar BRT terminal expired in October 2022.

The government is unwilling to release the dues as the company is yet to vacate the terminal.

Last year, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) initiated an investigation into alleged corruption in Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Peshawar.