RAWALPINDI: The closure of Airport Road on Wednesday due to re-carpeting work inconvenienced commuters and City Traffic Police received many phone calls from motorists complaining about the traffic situation.

Two VIP movements through the area added to the woes of commuters, who remained stuck in traffic for a long time. One of these was President Mamnoon Hussein travelling to inaugurate a children’s eye hospital near Soan Bridge and the other was the departure of a foreign delegation via the Benazir Bhutto International Airport.

On Tuesday, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had advised motorists to take alternative routes to the airport and that Airport Road will remain closed from Dhoke Hafiz onwards.

However, it took more than a day for the City Traffic Police to realise they should also have informed commuters about the closure and advised them to take alternative routes.

“More than 150 people called on the traffic police’s helpline asking for directions regarding an alternative route,” a spokesperson for the city traffic police said.

He said that commuters were advised to take either travel via Ammar Chowk, Rawal Road or Tipu Road.

The spokesperson added that the three of the callers were air passengers and had called in asking for an alternative route, saying they were getting late for their flights.

The traffic police also did not inform the general public about when the re-carpeting on Airport Road will be completed.

Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2016