GUJRAT: Jalalpur Jattan road’s concrete slabs caved in on Monday at the same point where they had collapsed in August.

Traders of the area had lodged a protest in August over the negligence of the authorities and some temporary arrangements were made to cover sewerage pipes. However, the concrete slabs of the road suddenly collapsed against on both sides of the road on Monday.

Official sources in the civic agency as well as the local traders say the sewerage pipes had been damaged at six points within a span of a kilometer, right from the Kutchery Chowk to the Government Vocational Training Centre.

The situation has aggravated owing to leakage and laying of a new storm water pipeline on both sides of the road during the last couple of years. They said more cave-ins might appear at three more points on the same road which needed immediate attention of the authorities.

Situation aggravates owing to leakage and laying of new storm water pipeline

The road is the route of the Hafiz Hayat campus of University of Gujrat, Nawaz Sharif Medical College (NSMC) and a number of other academic institutions.

The local traders have put some stones and their private publicity boards around the damaged portion of the road as a warning to the motorists; however, no official signboard was put up by the traffic police or the highways department even hours after the incident.

Deputy Commissioner Amer Shahzad Kang says he has issued directions to the highways department to resolve the issue.

It is learnt that the said road right from Servis Mor to Boley storm water channel has to be rebuilt for which the Punjab government has already accorded the approval. However, it may take another year to launch the work on the project since digging on Rehman Shaheed Road for laying new sewerage was launched a couple of weeks ago near Shadman Colony.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2022