GUJRAT: The Lahore-Sialkot motorway (M11) is yet to get the much-needed service areas even two and-a-half years after it was opened for the traffic.

The National Highways Authority (NHA) has failed to complete the construction of service areas. As there is no facility to refuel the vehicles on 103-kilometre long motorway, the risk factor for the motorists having shortage of fuel is always high while travelling on this route.

In the original design of the motorway, at least two service areas have to be built on both sides. It connects the Punjab capital Lahore with industrial towns of Sialkot, Wazirabad and Gujrat. The motorway was opened for traffic on March 18, 2020 and the Frontier Works Organization (FWO) executed the project at a cost of Rs44 billion, reducing the travel time between Lahore and Sialkot to mere 50 minutes from previous two hours travel from GT Road (N5).

The frequent travellers along M11 often complain about a lack of a rest area along the route, causing a sense of fear among them. The civil work on the service area from Sialkot to Lahore is almost complete but, official sources said, it could take several months to make it functional.

Moreover, the construction work on the Lahore to Sialkot side service area had been initiated but the civil work was halted a long time ago as its foundation work was done with small portion of walls. Now it may take some more time in resumption of the construction work at that site, the official sources added.

The rest areas include a petrol station, restaurant or café, tuck shop, mosque, washrooms and a car parking. The business fraternity has urged the federal government to expedite work on service areas’ construction.

Earlier, inordinate delay in the deployment of motorway police had caused security issues for the motorists as several robberies were reported and a woman was gang-raped after which the Punjab government deployed troops of the Punjab Highways Patrolling Police as a stopgap arrangement and then the motorway police too was deployed last year.

Sohail Aftab, a spokesman for the NHA, said work was under way and it would take at least six more months to get these areas functional. He said a makeshift fuel station, washrooms and a tuck shop had been established near the toll plaza to facilitate the travellers.

Meanwhile, the construction of the 69-kilometre long Kharian-Sambrial motorway, which is an extension project of the LSM, has been under way since July last.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2022