ISLAMABAD: City managers are in a fix about how to deal with an old graveyard in Shah Allah Ditta that falls in the alignment of the under-construction Margalla Road.

Currently, a portion of Margalla Road is being constructed from Grand Trunk (GT) Road (Sangjani area) to D-12.

Sources said the alignment of the road clashes with the graveyard in Shah Allah Ditta though work on the project was progressing fast.

They said that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) was focusing on two options: either construct a flyover or a tunnel to save the graveyard. However, a third option of acquiring 16 kanals of an adjacent road to divert the alignment was also under discussion.

Officials say construction of flyover or tunnel being considered

“Though a final decision is yet to be made, we want to avoid land acquisition; therefore, we are focusing on the flyover or tunnel option. If both options are not feasible, we will go for the land acquisition to divert the alignment of the road and bypass the graveyard,” said an officer of the CDA, adding a final decision will be made this week.

CDA spokesperson Syed Asif Raza said options were under consideration and soon the authority will announce a final decision.

He said: “The project is going at a good pace and as per timelines by May the D-12 section will be ready after which machinery will be mobilised on the last section which is the Bhara Kahu bypass. For the Shah Allah Ditta route, either a tunnel or flyover will be explored to avoid any land acquisition.”

The portion of the road starts from G.T. Road and its ending point will be D-12 from where after construction of an interchange and a small portion of 11th Avenue it will be linked with Khayaban-i-Iqbal.

Construction of the road will help reduce traffic from Srinagar Highway.

The 33-km Margalla Road from G.T. Road to Bhara Kahu is part of Islamabad’s master plan. However, the CDA decided to construct it in three phases. Two phases will be constructed during the tenure of the incumbent government while the third one will be started in the future as per the CDA.

Under the first phase (from G.T. Road to D-12), work is in progress and some officials believe that by July this year it will be completed. In the second phase, an eight-km road will be constructed from Murree Road near Quaid-i-Azam University and after bypassing Bhara Kahu it will be linked with Murree Road.

However, work on the second phase is yet to be started. CDA officials say it is expected that formal construction work will be started in April as alignment of the road had already been finalised and soon the CDA’s development working party will approve PC-1 before formal start of work.

“We have already engaged Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) the for second phase of the road. So, once PC-I is approved within a few days, the contractor will be mobilised to start the work,” said an officer of CDA.

The CDA spokesperson also said after completing the first phase in May, the contractor will fully focus on the second phase (Bhara Kahu bypass) in order to complete it at the earliest.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2022