FAISALABAD: Motorists on the Faisalabad bypass face problems due to its dilapidated condition that badly damages their vehicles and slows down their speed, killing the purpose of the road.

Scores of people use 98km long bypass daily to avoid the traffic mess of the city and the road built to facilitate the motorists, in its current state, is not serving its purpose.

The bypass was constructed a couple of years ago, connecting Sargodha Road, Jhang Road, Samundri Road, Jaranwala Road, Sattiana Road, Millat Road, Jhumrah Road and Khurrianwala Road.

Even a short distance from Sargodha Road to Narawala Road is very difficult to travel on because of the deep potholes. Similar is the condition of the portions from Jhang Road to Samundri Road and Sargodha Road to Millat Road.

Ehtsham, a resident of Chak 4-JB, Ramdewali, who uses the bypass, says robbers are taking advantage of the dilapidated condition of the bypass near Sargodha Road and they are robbing the motorists. Citing an incident, he says robbers recently forced a tractor-trolley driver of his village to block the road by stationing the vehicle in its middle to rob the travellers. He says the driver was repairing his vehicle when the armed robbers turned up and held him at gunpoint. By blocking the road through tractor-trolley, they looted the motorists with impunity.

At some points, Ehtsham adds, stone crush had been unloaded for repair; however, work has not started yet.

The makeshift markets for sacrificial animals were set up along the bypass; however, nobody bothered to execute the patchwork.

A day before Eid, Imran Rafi was on his way home with sacrificial animals when he had to pull over his vehicle whose axle broke after landing on a pothole. He termed the travel on the bypass a cumbersome task and it exposes the inefficiency of the government officials who are paying no attention to its condition.

Imran was waiting for the repair of his vehicle for more than two hours when this reporter talked to him on the bypass leading to Sargodha Road. He said people were avoiding using the bypass and stressed its immediate repair to reduce the traffic burden on city roads.

Traffic warden Rizwan says entry of heavy traffic to the city was banned during the day and they have to use the bypass. He says heavy vehicles were facing problems due to the bad condition of the bypass.

Deputy Commissioner Salman Ghani says the government has provided funds for the repair of the bypass and it would be completed by the end of this year while the patchwork is being carried out by the Faisalabad Development Authority.

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2017