ISLAMABAD - The rent of containers used to seal the federal capital cost the national exchequer at least Rs 27 million, The Nation has reliably learnt.
The federal government has paid Rs 27 million rent for 300 containers for sealing the capital's main roads due to announced Azadi March by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Independence Day. PTI Azadi March would start from Lahore on 14th August.
Well-placed sources in Islamabad police informed this scribe that on the directions of the government, capital police got 300 containers on rent from Lahore and it has paid Rs 27 million for 300 containers (Rs 90,000 rent of each container per week). It booked the containers from the provincial capital's local vendors. The sources said that capital police also hired 15 cranes from Lahore's local company for shifting the containers from one place to other and each crane will get Rs 8,000 for shifting the each container. A total of 450 containers were shifted in the federal capital and 150 containers were brought from surrounding cities of the capital for which no rent has been paid.
After announcement of Azadi March by PTI Chairman Imran Khan, the government decided to stop the march and sealed ways leading to Red Zone and blocked the roads with containers. Islamabad district administration has blocked all roads towards Islamabad including Faizabad, IGP Road, Bara Kahu Road, Maragalla Road, Rawat Chowk and Tarnol Chowk with containers.