April 29, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 22, 1429

ISLAMABAD, April 28: Road development projects in the city have created a never ending mess for the citizens, and the worst mess is seen at the site of the flyover at Faisal Chowk.

Clouds of dust hang over the site all hours of the day — not so much because of the construction work, which is at snail pace, but because of the congestion of traffic navigating through the maze the place has turned to.

Faisal Chowk is where the main arterial roads of Islamabad cross and which have been closed for almost a year for building the flyover. Traffic gets snarled even on roads by the sides of main Jinnah Avenue and Faisal Avenue, like the busy Nazimuddin Road.

A visit to the site of the project on Monday revealed that pace of construction work was very slow. It seems the contractor has deliberately slowed down the project to force the Capital Development Authority (CDA) meet the escalation in the cost of implementing the work because of the price spiral.

Miseries of the people who reside in F-6, F-7, G-6 and G-7 sectors or have to commute through the areas have been mounting with every passing day as digging and half-finished work render more and more stretches of roads impassable.

They say the travel on the uneven, narrow and bumpy passage left for traffic either side of the flyover is proving hard on their vehicles.

And the uncertainty when the Faisal Chowk flyover would be completed adds to their frustration.

The project, started in March last year has already been delayed by one month. According to the schedule it was to be completed in one year time but the project is likely to be delayed for another year or more as only 50 per cent work has so far been completed.

Sources in the CDA said besides construction of the flyover, the firm had been given contract to construct two overhead bridges on Nazimuddin Road and Fazl-i-Haq Road as part of the main flyover.

They said the construction of overhead bridges at two roads should have been included in the actual design of the interchange. Now more time would be needed to complete the project.

The construction firm, Matracon, claimed that the cost of the project had gone up by 25 per cent due to hike in steel and oil prices.

A source in the Capital Development Authority (CDA) said the rift between the city fathers and the contractor over escalation in project cost was increasing.

However, a senior official of the authority requesting not to be named said in view of the contractor’s demand, a summary had been sent to the CDA Board to allow the cost escalation.

He said the authority was waiting for the government nod of escalation in the cost of all development projects that were hit by hike in steel and PoL prices.

The owner of the firm, Abdul Qadir, told Dawn that he would not be able to continue the project with fast pace unless its cost is revised.

He said the government had standing orders that in case of hike in steel price the cost of the projects, which require a large quantity of steel, can be escalated.

“The authority was waiting for the government decision in this regard”, the CDA official said.

Earlier, the Planning Commission had pointed out serious flaws in the design of the flyover indicating that the project will create a “real traffic mess” if underpasses or overhead bridges were not constructed at two parallel roads — Nazimuddin Road and Fazl-i-Haq Road.

The official said as directed by the commission, the CDA had decided to construct overheads bridges on the two services roads and their PC-I had been sent to the commission for approval.