Pirwadhai underpass opened to traffic, but flyover still closed

[Salman]

RAWALPINDI : Three days after Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif inaugurated the Pirwadhai Mor Underpass and Flyover, a project which cost Rs1.5 billion, the underpass was opened for general traffic on Tuesday. The flyover, however, remains closed, prompting citizens to accuse the government of politicking.

According to Farhat Munir, Superintendent Engineer of the Communication and Works Department, the flyover has not been opened for safety reasons. “The designer said that the cement work needs time to dry,” Munir explained.

“He has taken samples and will report to us within a few days, and we’ll open the flyover as soon as the construction is strong enough to handle the weight of traffic.”

The Pirwadhai Mor project was originally scheduled to be completed within four months, comprising a flyover at Peshawar Road, where traffic from Peshawar comes to Saddar, and an underpass connecting I.J. Principal Road with Peshawar Road.

Munir expected that the flyover would be completed within a week. “The service roads connecting the main road with residential areas such as Naseerabad, Kohinoor Mills, and Chistiabad will probably be finished in May.”

The unfinished project has frustrated Rawalpindi residents, some of whom complained that the journey from Rawalpindi to Islamabad had taken an hour longer than normal. Others, however, noted political motivations in the Punjab government’s hasty inauguration of an incomplete project, charging that they simply wanted Shahbaz Sharif’s name on the plaques before his tenure ended.

“Now there’s no way they can finish before the election campaigns start,” said Mohammad Ibrahim, a resident of Siham. “And with the roads like this, it’ll be hard for people to get to public meetings.”

He noted that several parties had scheduled election meetings in Naseerabad, but because of the chaotic traffic, many people would have to stay at home.

Commissioner Imdadullah Bosal insisted that the government had not ‘abandoned’ the project after its inauguration.

“The government is monitoring the project carefully,” he said, claiming that a daily progress report was sent to Lahore. “Work will be completed soon, and the flyover will open for traffic.”