LAHORE: The construction of the Kalma Chowk underpass remodelling project has become a great headache for commuters, especially those residing in Askari V, Falcon Society, and other adjoining localities, as they have to take very long routes to reach various places.

“You cannot imagine how we have been living here since the start of this project, also known as CBD Boulevard, being executed by the Punjab Central Business District Development Authority,” Ahmed, a resident of Askari V, told Dawn.

He said that the locals that in order to get to the Main Market or the nearby offices in Gulberg, they must first travel to Ferozepur Road, go under the Faiz Ahmad Faiz underpass, do a U-turn to travel to Ferozepur Road once more, travel to Garden Town, and then travel to Kalma Chowk.

From here, they have two options: either take Centre Point, which takes a long time owing to the worst traffic, or take Canal Station (Canal Road), make a U-turn, enter the Qaddafi stadium’s outside area, and then travel to the desired location.

“While returning, the road where the construction work is underway is very narrow and also takes time,” he explained.

He said earlier that he used to reach his office in Gulberg within 10 minutes or so.

“They (the government) appear to have launched all works at once, putting the people’s routine lives in great jeopardy,” he bemoaned, adding that the government should investigate and resolve this issue immediately.

Arslan, a Falcon Society resident, told Dawn that the passing of each hour, especially during the day, was “terrible.” “Traveling in our area has become a great headache,” he said.

“It seems that we have been blocked from all sides.”

According to a spokesman for the authority, the authority worked hard to reduce commuter issues in collaboration with the traffic police.

“We have kept one lane of the road open while entering Gulberg from Garden Town. Similarly, the underpass’s lanes (while coming from Gulberg for Garden Town or Askari-5, Falcon) are open.

“There is traffic congestion, but the people finally reach their destination,” he explained.

The pace of work on the project is currently in full swing.

“Hopefully, we will be able to open the project by next month,” he maintained.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2023