Lahore: CDGL inaction delays work on major roads

[Naveed Yaseen]

By Ali Raza
THE lethargic attitude of the Works and Services department of the City District Government Lahore (CDGL) has caused about four-month delay in starting the projects of the remodelling and reconstruction of Multan and Allama Iqbal roads.

Both the roads are among the main arteries of the city and thousands of vehicles use these roads daily. Presently, both the roads are in a very pathetic condition and the CDGL authorities have done patch work on both the roads to cover up the bumps and craters, which is not enough.

The Traffic Engineering and Planning Agency (TEPA) officials claimed that average daily traffic on the Multan road in the year 2007 was over 44000 vehicles per day.

Due to the heavy traffic, the entire length of the road is heavily congested. TEPA officials say that the road was constructed in 1988 and has outlived its design life. They say people of the area are inconvenienced due to the congestion and bad condition of the pavement surface. They add that over 20,000 vehicles use Allama Iqbal Road daily.

The Works and Services department of CDGL sent both the projects to Environmental Protection Department (EPD) to get Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of these two main projects some four months back. The EPD raised several objections over the remodeling and reconstruction of these two projects and asked the CDGL to reply.

It is pertinent to mention here that the EPD has also sent two reminders to the department to get reply to the objections sent but no response has come so far from the CDGL.

A senior EPD official says that the silence of the Works and Services EDO reflects that either the senior officials of CDGL are too busy or these projects are not important to them.

EPD sources say that the Works and Services Department did not include any underpass or flyover in these projects, which means the after remodeling and reconstruction both the roads will continue to face traffic congestion and jams at key points such as Chauburgi, Moree Samanabad, Moree, Yateem Khana Chowk, Scheme Morr and Garhi Shahu Chowk. They say that the only way to make the roads through is the construction of underpasses or flyovers at the above mentioned spots. They say five underpasses or flyovers will reduce the environmental threats, especially the air pollution on the roads. They EPD officials are also concerned that in both the projects, the CDGL did not include rain/storm water drains. They have also asked the CDGL to include construction of a storm water drain under both the roads and also to ensure that the sidelines and dividers on these roads should be brick lined.

The CDGL planned to remodel Multan Road from Chauburgi to Multan Chungi and Allama Iqbal Road from Lahore Railway Station to Dharampura Bridge on the canal some one year back.

EPD officials say the remodelling of Multan Road will ease the traffic pressure from the other roads, especially the Canal Bank Road, Wahdat Road and subsequently Ferozpur Road but if the road is reconstructed without underpasses or flyovers it will make the situation worse.

They maintain the Multan Road from Chauburji to Thokar Niaz Baig is one of the major roads that come under the direct control of the CDGL and also servers as a gateway for the inter-city traffic between Lahore and South Punjab. They add that the road is very important for the local traffic as it connects one corner of the city (Raiwind) with the other (Azadi Chowk). The Multan Road also provides a direct link to the motorway via Bund Road on which majority of the inter-city bus stands situated. In a routine day, it takes almost one and a half hour to reach Chauburgi from Thokar and traffic mess doubles this time. Traffic mess or congestion has become a routine on the road, especially at Scheme Moree, Chowk Yateem Khana and Samanabad Morr.

Some months ago, District Nazim Mian Amer released press statements over the projects and revealed that the new Multan road would be a six lane road (three on either side) and the improvement of the road was proposed on the basis of pavement design and new geometric profile for better drainage system. The new road will have a RCC Road Side Drain (both sides), Pedestrian Footpath/Median, the official said adding the entire road was proposed for providing sewerage/water supply system on both sides.

The district nazim said that to illuminate the road, 28 Single arm poles, 349 double arm poles, 726 Sodium Lights and 15 transformers would be installed on both sides of the road while 04 leg type traffic signals and 07 T type traffic signals would be installed on it besides the improvements of crossings.

Naseemur Rehman, a senior EPD official, says the department is going to send a new reminder to the works and services department of the CDGL within the next coming days. He says the department has also asked the CDGL to consider plantation of trees on both the roads besides brick lined the side ways and dividers. He adds the reduction of environmental hazards is the top priority of the department due to which it is insisting on plantation and brick lining.

When contacted, EDO Works and Services Imran Burki did not attend the phone on his cell 0302-8781077. The scribe has also left a message on his phone but he did not call back to give his official version till our going to the press.

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