Q2: Explain the following questions.

i- MAINTENANCE OF RAIL TRACKS:

Track needs regular maintenance to remain in good order, especially when high-speed trains are
involved. Inadequate maintenance may lead to a "slow order" (North American terminology, a "slack"
or speed restriction in the United Kingdom) being imposed to avoid accidents (see Slow zone). Track
maintenance was at one time hard manual labor, requiring teams of laborers, or trackmen (US: gandy
dancers; UK: platelayers; Australia: fettlers), who used lining bars to correct irregularities in horizontal
alignment (line) of the track, and tamping and jacks to correct vertical irregularities (surface).
Currently, maintenance is facilitated by a variety of specialized machines.

The surface of the head of each of the two rails can be maintained by using arailgrinder.Common
maintenance jobs include changing crossties (sleepers), lubricating and adjusting switches, tightening
loose track components, and surfacing and lining track to keep straight sections straight and curves
within maintenance limits. The process of crosstie and rail replacement can be automated by using
a track renewal train.
Spraying ballast with herbicide to prevent weeds growing through and disrupting the ballast is
typically done with a special weed killing train.
Over time, ballast is crushed or moved by the weight of trains passing over it, periodically requiring
relevelling ("tamping") and eventually to be cleaned or replaced. If this is not done, the tracks may
become uneven causing swaying, rough riding and possibly derailments. An alternative to tamping is
to lift the rails and sleepers and reinsert the ballast beneath. For this, specialist "stoneblower" trains are
used.
Rail inspections utilize nondestructive testing methods to detect internal flaws in the rails. This is done
by using specially equipped HiRail trucks, inspection cars, or in some cases handheld inspection
devices.
Rails must be replaced before the railhead profile wears to a degree that may trigger a derailment.
Worn mainline rails usually have sufficient life remaining to be used on a branch
line, siding or stub afterwards and are "cascaded" to those applications.
The environmental conditions along railroad track create a unique railway ecosystem. This is
particularly so in the United Kingdom where steam locomotives are only used on special services and
vegetation has not been trimmed back so thoroughly. This creates a fire risk in prolonged dry weather.
In the UK, the cess is used by track repair crews to walk to a work site, and as a safe place to stand
when a train is passing. This helps when doing minor work, while needing to keep trains running, by
not needing a Hi-railer or transport vehicle blocking the line to transport crew to get to the site.
 ii- Maintenance of Runways
Description
The term Runway Maintenance is usually used to refer to activity required to keep the runway in a safe
condition for aircraft use. Whilst this self evidently means making sure that the integrity of the top
surface is absolute, it is also defined in terms of minimum surface friction.
Runway Occupancy for Surface Maintenance Purposes
The necessary occupancy for runway maintenance activity is achieved by access when a runway is
scheduled for closure anyway such as overnight, or for longer periods during which part or all of a
runway is taken out of service. If a runway is going to be unavailable when an airport is open then
a NOTAM must be used to advise accordingly. Whilst such NOTAMS are available in Airport Flight
Briefing facilities and, increasingly online, many larger aircraft operators take responsibility for
making their flight crew aware of relevant NOTAMS through their own directly-provided procedure
or an equivalent sub contract service provision.
The Maintenance Process
The integrity of runway surfaces is assured by regular inspections. Pavement maintenance requires
periodic renewal of the top or wearing surface. The interval between surface re-making will vary
according to the type of surface. The most commonly used hard surface types are concrete and asphalt.
To aid surface water dispersal, the former are frequently grooved laterally to allow surface water to
drain in the grooves and the latter employ a porous top layer, which allows surface water to run off
below the surface rather than across it. Certain types of asphalt can also be grooved. Minor repairs such
as joint re-sealing, crack stopping and the removal of rubber deposits from the TDZ may need relatively
little continuous occupancy time but major works will either involve complete or partial runway
closure for a continuous period of several weeks or a carefully managed programme of night closures
during which a complex resurfacing programme can be progressively accomplished. In such cases, the
friction characteristics of various parts of the available surface may vary on a daily basis which will
invite very careful pre flight attention to NOTAM information, especially if adverse weather conditions
may occur.
 iii- MAINTENANCE OF WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM:
Preventive maintenance: includes work that is planned and carried out on a regular basis to maintain
and keep the infrastructure in good condition, such as network inspection, flushing of the well, cleaning
and greasing of mechanical parts and replacement of items with a limited lifespan. It sometimes also
includes minor repairs and replacement as dictated by the routine examinations.
Corrective Maintenance: replacing or repairing something that was done incorrectly or that needs to
be changed; an example is the reallocation of a pipe route or replacement of a faulty pump.
Reactive Maintenance: a reaction to a crisis or public complaints; it normally occurs as result of failures
and the malfunctioning or breakdown of equipment. In order to ensure the routine maintenance and
health of the system, the technician should adhere to a routine check-up. The project manager will need
to ensure that the technician is doing his/her job. If done correctly and on a regular schedule, preventive
measures can reduce the risk of costly repairs. The key to ensuring effective equipment maintenance
is to make certain that responsibilities are clearly defined and maintenance personnel have the tools
and skills to do their job effectively. It is also essential to schedule preventive maintenance.
[http://www.sswm.info/content/operation-and-maintenance-0]

iv- MAINTENANCE OF SEWRAGE LINES

Any home or other building that is not connected to a municipal or city sewage system needs a
method for getting rid of human waste. All buildings not serviced by a municipal treatment plant
need to have an onsite sewage disposal system that is properly designed and filed with the local
public health authority.
A typical sewage disposal system has 2 basic parts:
A septic tank, or a treatment plant and;
A dispersal area - usually a series of underground pipes or chambers that evenly distribute
the partially treated liquid into the ground for final treatment
Once the septic system is working, it is the homeowners responsibility to ensure that the
maintenance plan is followed. If you do not maintain your sewage disposal system properly, this
can result in the failure of your system. You may need to pay for costly repairs or replace your
disposal system.
It is important to have an accurate drawing that shows the location of all parts of your septic system
so you can find them. For septic systems constructed under the Sewerage System Regulation, this
as-constructed drawing will be provided by your authorized person.
All septic systems, and especially treatment plants, need ongoing, proper operation and
maintenance. An owner of a treatment system should contact a local service agent who is an
authorized person and has experience with your specific treatment plant and model, to set up an
annual service contract.
Septic tanks should be inspected every year, and they usually need servicing every 2 to 3 years,
depending on the number of people using the system and the volume of daily sewage flow.
Here are a few things to keep in mind for servicing a septic tank:
Use an authorized person for maintenance.
Remove sludge in the spring rather than in the fall. This prevents leaving undigested solids
in the tank during the cold winter months.
 Do not scrub a septic tank clean. A small amount of sludge should be left to renew bacterial
activity.

v- MAINTENANCE OF ELECTRICAL SUPPLY LINES

An electrical grid is an interconnected network for delivering electricity from suppliers to

consumers. It consists of generating stations that produce electrical power, high voltage
transmission lines that carry power from distant sources to demand centers, and distribution
lines that connect individual customers. ]Power stations may be located near a fuel source,
at a dam site, or to take advantage of renewable energy sources, and are often located away
from heavily populated areas. They are usually quite large to take advantage of the
economies of scale. The electric power which is generated is stepped up to a higher voltage
at which it connects to the electric power transmission network.
The bulk power transmission network will move the power long distances, sometimes
across international boundaries, until it reaches its wholesale customer (usually the
company that owns the local electric power distribution network).
On arrival at a substation, the power will be stepped down from a transmission level voltage
to a distribution level voltage. As it exits the substation, it enters the distribution wiring.
Finally, upon arrival at the service location, the power is stepped down again from the
distribution voltage to the required service voltage(s).
Electrical grids vary in size from covering a single building through national grids which
cover whole countries, to transnational grids which can cross continents.

VI) MAINTENANCE OF GAS PIPELINES

VII) M MAINTENANCE OF PORTS AND HARBOURS

QUESTION 3
Currently, the public sector procurement of construction is largely based on the lowest bid award system.
The customary practice of awarding contracts to a lowest bidder was established to ensure the least cost
for completing a project. In public construction works, this practice is almost universally accepted since it
not only ensures a low price but also provides a way to avoid fraud and corruption (Irtishad, 199. While
the low-bid procurement system has a long-standing legal precedence and has promoted open
competition and a fair playing field, a long-standing concern expressed by owners and some of their
industry partners is that a system based strictly on the lowest price provides contractors with an incentive
to concentrate on cutting bid prices to the maximum extent possible (instead of concentrating on quality
enhancing measures), even when a higher cost product would be in the owners best interest, which
makes it less likely that contracts will be awarded to the best performing contractors who will deliver the
highest quality projects. As a result, the low-bid system may not result in the best value for money
expended or the best performance during and after construction. Moreover, the traditional low-bid
approach tends to promote more adversarial relationships rather than Cooperation or coordination
among the contractor, the designer and the owner, and the owner generally faces increased exposure to
contractor claims over design and constructability issues.In Pakistan, the most common method of
awarding the contract is the Least Responsive Bidder or Price Based method, which has inherent flaws of
high competition and minimum performance. These incompetent practices pose a serious risk and
problems. It is therefore, imperative to to assess the impact of competitive low bid awarding system on
performance of major public work projects (in terms of schedule, cost, quality and safety) in Pakistan
construction industry.

Salient features of Sindh Public Procurement Rules (SPPRA)

a- The definition of a number of important terms which were missing in the rules of 2004
have been defined in the rules (e.g. Consultant, bidding process, best evaluated bid,
services, substantitally responsible bid etc.). therm emergency has been redefined so
as to cover only the natural calamities, disaster, accidents, war and breakdown of
operation equipment, plant machinery or engineering infrastructure, which may give
rise to abnormal situation requiring prompt and immediate action to limit or avoid
damage to person(s), property or the environment.
b- Constitution of the procurement Committee (Rule 7): The constitution of
procurement committee & functions & responsibilities of the procurement committee
have been described in rules 7 & 8. The procuring agencies are advised to constitute the
procurement committees as per their requirement keeping in view the spirit of the rules
cited above.
c- Procurement Plan(Rule11): Under the rules, the procuring agencies are required to
prepare a procurement plan for the whole financial year containing the details of
proposed procurements, their tentative schedule & the procurement method to be
adopted for these procurements.
The plan can be viewed & updated by the procuring agency throughout the life of the
project so as to ensure its successful and timely completion.
d- Limitation on splitting or regrouping of proposed procurements (Rule-12): The
procuring agency shall carry out procurement in accordance with the procurement plan
& avoid splitting or regrouping
e- Specifications (Rule 13): Specifications shall be stipulated so as to allow the wides
possible competition and shall not favor any single contractor or supplier nor put others
at a disadvantage. Specifications shall be generic and shall not include references to brand
 names, model numbers, catalogue numbers or similar classifications. However, if the
procuring agency is convinced that the use of a reference to a brand name or a catalogue
number is essential to complete an otherwise incomplete specification, such use or
reference shall be qualified with the words or equivalent.
Procurement of used or reconditioned equipment, plant or machinery shall not be
permissible in any case whatsoever.
f- Method of Notification & Advertisement of NITs (Rule-17): Procurements over one
hundred thousand rupees and up to one million rupees shall be advertised on SPPRA
website & may also be published in the print media in the manner & format prescribed
in the Rules. Procurements having value Rs. One million &abover shall be advertised in
SPPRA website as well as published in at three widely circulated leading dailies of
English, Urdu & Sindhi Language. (Rule-17)
g- Response Time (Rule-18): The procuring agency shall give due consideration to the
scope, magnitude and nature of procurement while deciding the response time.
However, in case of National Competitive Bidding, the response time shall nbot be less
than fifteen calendar days and in case of international Competitive Bidding, it shall not
be less than forty five calendar days?
h- Announcement of Evaluation Reports (Rule 10 & 45): The procuring agency shall,
immediately upon award of contract, make the evaluation report of the bid, and the
contract agreement public through hoisting on the Authoritys website as well as on
procuring agencys website, if the procuring agency has such a website;
Provided where the procuring agency is convinced that disclosure of any information
related to the award of a contract shall be against the public interest or may jeopardized
national security. It can withhold only such information from public disclosure, subject
to the prior approval of the government.
i- Grievance Redressal Mechanism (Rule 31 & 32): The procuring agency shall
constitute a committee for complaint redressal comprising odd numbers of persons,
with appropriate powers and authorizations, to address the complaints of bidders that
may occur during the procurement proceedings.
j- Mis-Procurement (Rule-56): Under Rule-56.
Head of the complaint Redressal Committee, on its own initiation or on receiving a
complaint from any aggrieved bidder to the procurement proceeding, shall recommend the
matter to the head of the department for declaring the case to be one of mis-procurement,
if any material violation of provision of the Act, Rules, Regulations, orders, instructions or
any other law relating to public procurement, has been established.
Alternatively, the authority may take notice of any violation of provisions of the act,
rules, regulations, orders instructions or any other law relating to public procurement and
advise the head of the complaint redressal committee to proceed in terms of sub-rule (1)
above
 The Authority may also notify the procurement proceedings to be a case of mis-
procurement if so decided by the chief secretary on recommendations submitted by the
review panel.
k- Procurement of Consultancy Services: Part III of the Rules defines the framework for
procuring consulting services; Consultancies are categorized as small, medium and
large consultancies. Eight different methods for procuring the services of consultancies
have been provided in the Rules (Rules 72). The procuring agency may select the
method keeping in view its needs and requirements and suitability of the particular
method.

QUESTION # 4

A) WAPDA:

The Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) was established through a parliamentary
enactment in February, 1958 for integrated and rapid development and maintenance of water and
power resources of the country. The Authority consists of a Chairman and three members heading
Water, Power and Finance Wings. Water Wing of WAPDA is responsible for planning, designing
and execution of water resources development projects in irrigation, drainage and hydropower
sectors. Major surface water projects including large dams are also operated and maintained by
Water Wing. In view of Critical situation of Water Storage resources, the Federal Cabinet approved
various Water and Power projects for construction under Vision 2025 program.

THE AUTHORITY

WAPDA, the Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority was created in 1958 as a Semi-
Autonomous body for the purpose of coordinating and giving a unified direction to the
development of schemes in water and power sectors, which were previously being dealt with, by
the respective electricity and irrigation department of the provinces. Since October 2007, WAPDA
has been bifurcated into two distinct entities i.e. WAPDA and Pakistan Electric Power Company
(PEPCO). WAPDA is responsible for water and hydropower development whereas PEPCO vested
with responsibility of thermal power generation, transmission, distribution and billing. There is an
independent chairman and MD (PEPCO) replacing chairman WAPDA and Member (Power) who
were previously holding the additional charges of these posts.

WAPDA is now fully responsible for the development of Hydel Power and Water Sector
Projects.
PEPCO has been fully empowered and is responsible for the managment of all the affairs
of corporatized nine Distribution Companies (DISCOS), four Generation Companies
(GENCOs) and a National Transmission Dispatch Company (NTDC). These companies
are working under independent board of directors (Chairman and some Directors are from
Private Sectors).
The companies are administratively autonomous and leading to financial autonomy by
restructuring their balance sheets by bringing their equity position to at least 20 percent ,
required to meet the prudential regulations and to facilitate from commercial sector
(approved by ECC)
The Loan Liability Transfer Agreements (LLTA) has been signed with Corporate Entities
and execution of loan transfer is complete.
All Entities have the physical possessions of all their operational assets.
On 24th Feb. 2007 Ministry of Water & Power notified NEPRA approved Tariff for all
Distribution Companies replacing unified WAPDA Tariff.
Legal Agreements such as Business Transfer Agreements, Operation Development
Agreement, Energy Supply Agreement, Business Supplementary Agreement and Fuel
Supply Agreement etc. were executed between WAPDA and Corporate Entities to
facilitate commercial operations. Regulatory instruments like Grid Code, Distribution
Codes, Performance Standard for Distribution Companies and Transmission Companies
were drafted and got approved from (www.nepra.org.pk) in 2007.
All major lenders gave their consent for transfer of their loan from WAPDA to Corporate
Entities, thus 326 loan assumption agreements were signed amongst respective Companies,
WAPDA and EAD (Economic Affairs Division) GOP.
CPPA is established under the coverage of NTDC for payments from DISCOsto IPPs,
GENCOs and NTDC. Ultimately, it will function independently under Federal Govt. and
all forthcoming IPPs will be under CPPA.

B) CAA
Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (Urdu: ( ) abbreviated as CAA) is a
regulatory authority, which oversees and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in Pakistan. CAA's head
office is situated in Terminal-1 of Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.[4] CAA is a member of the
International Civil Aviation Organization.[5] Safety Investigation Board (SIB) conduct air safety
investigations on direction of Federal Government. Nearly all civilian airports in Pakistan are owned and
operated by the CAA.
C) PAKISTAN RAILWAYS:
Pakistan Railways (reporting mark PR) is a national state-owned rail transport service
of Pakistan, headquartered in Lahore. It is administered by the federal government under
the Ministry of Railways. Pakistan Railway provides an important mode of transportation
throughout Pakistan. It is commonly referred to as the "life line of the country" by aiding in large-
scale movement of people and freight throughout Pakistan.

Pakistan has a rich railway heritage spanning almost 200 years which it owes the British. It was in
1847 when the first railway was imagined but it was not until 1861 when it came into existence in
the form of the railway built from Karachi to Kotri. Pakistan has stayed true to this rich heritage
because since rail transport is possibly the most popular mode of non-independent transport in
Pakistan.

Pakistan, despite its moderate size, has a largely dysfunctional railway system. Negligence by the
last government during 2008-2013 has led the Pakistan Railways down rapidly. As of mid-2011,
it was decided to stop all goods train haulage due to severe shortage of locomotives and fuel. The
financially bankrupt organization, despite bailouts, has not been able to emerge from its troubles
leading to cancellation of as many as 115 railway services. The decision has left ordinary
Pakistanis at the mercy of bus operators for long distance travel. As of 2011, the PR network
cancelled many trains and AC services in many trains were stopped. On 29 December 2011, PR
restored freight train service from Karachi to upcountry.
Since 2007, it operates trains completely by Diesel locomotives when electric locos were grounded
but on 31 October 2013 but the Lahore High court directed railways to make policy for restoration
of Electric locos too.

D) KARACHI PORT TRUST:

Karachi Port Trust (KPT) is a Pakistani federal government agency that oversees the operations
of the Port of Karachi in Karachi, Sindh,Pakistan. Between 1880 and 1887, the port was
administered by the Karachi Harbor Board. The Karachi Port Trust was then established by the
Act IV of 1886, effective from 1 April 1887.

Karachi due to its geographical and strategic location is known as the gateway to Asia. Considered
as a safe harbor since time immemorial, Karachi was a small fishing village in early nineteenth
century. Historians identify it with its proximity to a place from where a part of Alexander's Army,
boarded the Greek Flotilla in 326 B.C. The first mention of Karachi as a port is found in an Arabic
treatise 'Muhit' on navigation relating to the West Coast of India and the Persian Gulf. Written in
1558, this treatise warns the sailors of whirlpools and advises them to seek safety in Karachi
Harbor if they found themselves drifting dangerously. It is also significant to mention that the first
Muslim Conqueror of India, Mohammad Bin Qasim, landed at Daibal, in vicinity of Karachi in
711 A.D. Karachi also has the distinction of being the birthplace of the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-
e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and was the first capital of Pakistan till 1963. It is now the largest
city with a bustling and ever increasing population of over ten million. By 1852, Karachi was an
established city with a population of about 14,000 with a prosperous trade in over-seas markets.
However, the existing Port started taking shape in 1854, when the projects of dredging the main
navigable channel and the construction of a mole or causeway joining the main harbor with the
rest of the city were undertaken. About 5 years later, construction of Manora Breakwater, Keamari
Groyne, the Napier Mole Bridge, Native Jetty and the Chinna Creek were started which gave initial
shape to the port. The construction of the wharves started in 1882, and by 1914 the East Wharves
and the Napier Mole Boat Wharf had been completed. During the period between 1927 and 1944,
the West Wharves of the Port, the lighter age berths and the ship-repairing berths were constructed.
Most of these facilities were obsolete by the time Pakistan came into existence in 1947. Since then,
the port administration has embarked on extensive development of the port on modern lines. At
the time of independence in 1947, the Port capacity was about 1.5 million tons of dry cargo and
1.0 million tons of P.O.L. products per annum. Karachi Port is now handling over 11.74 million
tons of liquid cargo and 25.45 million tons of dry cargo, including 1,213,744 TEUs which
constitute about 60% of import/ export of the country.

The Karachi Port is administered by a Board of Trustees, comprising Chairperson and 10 Trustees.
The Chairperson is appointed by the Federal Government and is also the Chief Executive of
Karachi Port Trust. The remaining 10 Trustees are equally distributed between the public and the
private sector. The five public sector trustees are nominated by the Federal Government. The seats
for private sector trustees are filled by elected representatives of various private sector
organizations. This way all port users find a representation in the Board of Trustees.
E) CPEC

ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (Chinese: -; Urdu: -

;also known by the CPEC) is a collection of infrastructure projects currently under
construction throughout Pakistan. Originally valued at $46 billion, the value of CPEC projects is
now worth $62 billion. CPEC is intended to rapidly modernize Pakistani infrastructure and
strengthen its economy by the construction of: modern transportation networks, numerous energy
projects, and special economic zones. On 13 November 2016, CPEC became partly operational
when Chinese cargo was transported overland to Gwadar Port for onward maritime shipment to
Africa and West Asia.

A vast network of highways and railways are to be built under the aegis of CPEC that will span
the length and breadth of Pakistan. Inefficiencies stemming from Pakistan's mostly dilapidated
transportation network are estimated by the government to cause a loss of 3.5% of the country's
annual gross domestic product. Modern transportation networks built under CPEC will link
seaports in Gwadar and Karachi with northern Pakistan, as well as points further north in western
China and Central Asia.[8] A 1,100 kilometer long motorway will be built between the cities of
Karachi and Lahore as part of CPEC, while the Karakoram Highway between Rawalpindi and the
Chinese border will be completely reconstructed and overhauled .The KarachiPeshawar main
railway line will also be upgraded to allow for train travel at up to 160 km per hour by December
2019. Pakistan's railway network will also be extended to eventually connect to China's Southern
Xinjiang Railway in Kashgar. The estimated $11 billion required to modernise transportation
networks will be financed by subsidized concessionary loans

Over $33 billion worth of energy infrastructure are to be constructed by private consortia to help
alleviate Pakistan's chronic energy shortages, which regularly amount to over 4,500MW, and have
shed an estimated 22.5% off Pakistan's annual gross domestic product. Over 10,400MW of
energy generating capacity is to be brought online by the end of 2018, with the majority developed
as part of CPEC's fast-tracked "Early Harvest" projects. A network of pipelines to transport
liquefied natural gas and oil will also be laid as part of the project, including a $2.5 billion pipeline
between Gwadar and Nawabshah to eventually transport gas from Iran. Electricity from these
projects will primarily be generated from fossil fuels, though hydroelectric and wind-power
projects are also included, as is the construction of one of the world's largest solar farms.

CPEC's potential impact on Pakistan has been likened to that of the Marshall Plan undertaken by
the United States in post-war Europe. Pakistani officials predict that CPEC will result in the
creation of upwards of 2.3 million jobs between 20152030, and add 2 to 2.5 percentage points to
the country's annual economic growth ,were all the planned projects to be implemented, the value
of those projects would be roughly equivalent to all foreign direct investment in Pakistan since
1970,and would be equal to 17% of Pakistan's 2015 gross domestic product.