LAHORE: Construction, destruction and reconstruction... the pattern seems to have become a permanent feature of the provincial government executing various projects including work on Multan and Jail roads.

There is no official who can explain why millions of rupees are being wasted without check.

Multan Road is one of the glaring examples of a lack of planning as it has seen construction, dismantling and reconstruction many times in the past.

“This is the road that was remodelled during widening and concreting of the central/maiden line drain some five years ago. The cost of the project too escalated to over Rs7 billion due to massive delay in the construction work accomplished by the National Logistic Cell under the supervision of the Communication and Works Department and its subsidiary, the Lahore Ring Road Authority.

“Before this it was carpeted under a routine maintenance programme which cost millions,” deplores an official of a civic agency.

He says the Water and Sanitation Agency also started work on main sewer pipeline rehabilitation project worth millions. For this purpose it also broke some side stretches of the widened and carpeted road.

The Multan Road project was launched in phases -- Thokar to Kharak to Scheme Morr to Chauburji. The project involved land acquisition and massive demolition of the private property at the stretches Chungi to Kharak to Scheme Morr and Yatim Khana, Samanabad Morr and Chauburji. Besides, installation of pedestrian bridges, provision of footpaths, U-turns at Yatim Khana and some other remodelling civil works were part of the project.

After completion of the project, people felt relief which proved short-lived as the government launched the Orange Line Metro Train Project that covers the entire Multan Road from Thokar to Chauburji. Owing to piling work of the project, the central/maiden drain of the road was abandoned and a plan to construct another drain on the roadside was devised under the main project. “Now this newly-constructed drain has been abandoned because considerable funds have been allocated under the Orange Line project for construction of a new drain. This drain will be constructed by the project team in association with Wasa.

“There are reports that the reconstruction of various patches that were battered owing to train project civil work has started,” the official said.

He said the road from Thokar to Ali Town also was reconstructed some time ago but it was again dug up for the piling work.

As far as Gulberg’s main boulevard is concerned, it was recently remodelled and widened with provision of U-turns and a flyover under about Rs1.80 billion signal-free project. But now the CDGL plans to spend over Rs70 million to beautify this road by making its shoulders, streamlining the wires etc.

There are examples of construction and reconstruction of Ferozepur Road and GT Road. “It all happens when the major projects are not mentioned in the city’s master plan,” he says.

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2016