Work on Pir Wadhai Underpass delayed

[Salman]

RAWALPINDI - Construction work on the Pir Wadhai Morr Underpass could not be started, as the National Highway Authority (NHA) did not cancel lease of a PSO petrol pump that was hindering the initiation of the work.

The chief engineer of Punjab Highways Department has given the technical approval of the cost of the project that is Rs 1,447 million. Work on Pir Wadhai Morr underpass project was to start from October 8.

According to sources in the Punjab Highways Department, the NHA had leased a petrol pump located on the road at Pir Wadhai Morr that came in the plan of the underpass; the petrol pump was to be razed before starting the project, the sources said.

The sources further revealed that the highway department had sent a letter to the NHA to cancel the lease and raze the petrol pump but neither the lease was cancelled nor the petrol pump was erased to date, causing the delay in the initiation of construction work on the project, the source said, adding that test piling for the project has been completed but proper construction work could not be initiated yet.

Meanwhile, dilapidated Swan to Kakpull road has swallowed several lives in fatal road accidents owing to apathetic attitude of the concerned authorities towards its renovation work.

The residents of the areas around the worn out road complained that this part of Kahuta Road turned into puddles due to heavy rains and they had become death traps with devouring several pedestrians particularly the children.

Traffic jams has become routine phenomenon on this road and the citizens particularly government and factories employees and students have to bear the brunt of the intensified traffic mess on the depleted portion of the road.

Human life is dear and precious but this concept stands dispelled here as ambulances carrying emergency patients are seen to be struggling to find way out but they are seen standing there for hours like any calamity stricken people who are left stranded and continue to wait for rescue aid.

This state of affairs is slap on the face of the elected representatives of the area who don’t tire advocating the rights of people but their performance is disappointed in terms of providing civic amenities to their voters.

The citizens demanded immediate initiation of repair work to avert any deadly incident.

Meanwhile, the citizens of the garrison city have expressed grave concern over digging the Rashid Minhas Road for laying water pipeline, saying it was quite conventional that one authority constructs a road, while some other breaks it on the pretext of laying gas or water pipelines.

They further said that the later authority did not bother to even repair the damaged roads after the completion of their work.

According to information, the RDA with the cost of millions of rupees recently carpeted the road. The Cantt board started the digging on the road to lay water pipeline the other day without taking a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA). On getting the information, the RDA stopped the work immediately for not taking advance permission and sent an application to the Civil Lines Police Station for taking compensation money from the Cantt Board for damaging the road.

When contacted, Director General, RDA, Chaudhry Naseer Ahmed said that the Cantt Board had damaged their road without taking an NOC from the civic authority; therefore he ceased the work immediately. He also confirmed the news of the application to the police for legal action against the Cantt Board, saying they were trying to get adequate money from the board to repair the damaged road.