Orange train to be on track on March 23.

Lahore -- Following a long haul involving several impediments in completion of the project, the authorities on Friday eventually set a date to put the Metro train on track on March 23, a date which coincides with Pakistan Day.

Decision to this effect was a taken at a high level meeting chaired by Chairman CPEC Authority Lt. Gen. (R) Asim Saleem Bajwa. Chairman P and D, Hamid Yaqoob Sheikh and other concerned officials attended the meeting.

General Asim reportedly stressed upon the government authorities to make the project operational on March 23 without any further delay. The meeting also decided that Chinese contractor should be asked to complete the remaining work at the earliest.

The decision comes at the heels of a recent decision by the Punjab government to review the operation and maintenance contract of the Metro train. The provincial law department is currently looking into legal aspects of the contract before taking a final decision on the matter.

It may be mentioned here that Metro train has already passed two test runs conducted in the last ix months.

Earlier, construction work on the Metro train project remained suspended for over one year during last tenure of the PML-N government. The LHC had ordered the Punjab government to stop the project as it passed through the historical sites. The court eventually allowed the government to complete the project after seeking guarantees about protection of the historical buildings. The project also faced procedural delays and hiccups at different stages of its completion.

Chairman P and D, Hamid Yaqoob also briefed the meeting on the ongoing CPEC development projects underway in Punjab under the CPEC. He said work on all the mega projects was going on at a fast track.

Also, CPEC Authority Lt. Gen. (R) Asim Saleem Bajwa called on Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar at his office on Friday and discussed different matters including progress made on CPEC related projects. The issue of inordinate delay in the launch of Metro train...