Lahore: Unfinished work on Jinnah Flyover service lane irks residents

[Naveed Yaseen]

* Resident says situation worst during school hours
* Contractor blames rains for delay

By Afnan Khan

LAHORE: The ongoing repair and renovation work on the service lane along the Jinnah Flyover has created problems for motorists and residents of the area, residents told Daily Times on Saturday.

The road has been blocked due to presence of sand and other building material. The work was scheduled to be finished in a few days, but contractors have withheld the work. The sand has also become a nuisance for the residents of the area. Moreover, people have also demolished the barricade meant to separate the main road and the service lane, causing traffic jams on MM Alam Road, Centre Point and Firdous Market.

Kamran Khan, a resident, said the blockade had disturbed the residents of Gulberg B-3. He said, “The situation becomes the worst during school hours as there are several schools in the area.” Kamran said the renovation work was part of the City District Government Lahore’s campaign to renovate and construct the service lane and road separators, while they were supposed to reconstruct the 650 feet of the service lane from the start.

He said the City District Government Lahore was supposed to complete the project in a week, but to no avail.

Blame it on the rain: Abdul Rehman, contractor of the project, blamed the recent rains for the delay. He said they would start carpeting the road on Sunday and complete it in a couple of days if the rain did not fall again. He said they had renovated the service lane from Center Point to Firdos Market. The delaying project had created problems for the people, so they would try to complete it soon, he said. The district coordination officer was not available for comment.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...009_pg13_2