CHINIOT: The Chiniot Ring Road, constructed to connect Faisalabad Road with Jhang Road and Sargodha Road along the seem nullah, has eroded in several areas.

The recent patchwork repairs has deteriorated within months. The road, which serves as a key connection between major highways including Faisalabad Road, Sargodha Road, Pindi Bhattian Road and Jhang Road, has become increasingly hazardous due to neglect.

This route is crucial for trucks transporting stone crush from Sargodha, sand from the river Chenab and sugarcane to local sugar mills during the crushing season.

The road also houses educational institutions such as the Government College University, Faisalabad (Chiniot campus), Chenab College and private schools, each with enrollments exceeding 1,000 students.

Constructed about two decades ago to ease heavy traffic in city areas, the road has seen no major repairs in the last 10-12 years due to a lack of maintenance funds from the Punjab government.

Continuous degradation has led to cracks, ditches and erosion into the seem nullah, further compromising the road’s safety. Recent patchwork repairs, carried out a few months ago, have already failed due to substandard work and insufficient funds to address the road’s extensive damage.

Heavy rains have worsened the situation, deepening ditches and increasing erosion.

Despite the road’s critical importance, the Punjab government has yet to undertake comprehensive repairs. The deteriorating condition has led to numerous accidents, with vehicles frequently breaking their axles in the ditches or veering off into the unprotected seem nullah, resulting in fatalities and traffic jams. These issues are particularly severe during the crushing season, when overloaded tractor trolleys get stuck in the ditches and overturn.

Campus Director of GC University Faisalabad (Chiniot campus) Malik Falak Sher said that over 1,500 students face daily hardships due to the dangerous road. Abdullah Malik, a class 10 student at Chenab College, said that while traveling on the broken road daily, they endure dust caused by the crumbling road.

The Punjab government had allocated Rs12 billion for a dual carriageway to ease traffic congestion in the 2024-25 Annual Development Plan. However, this allocation was later reduced to Rs5 billion, only for repairs.

Mr Malik urged the chief minister to increase the funding for the road’s reconstruction into a dual carriageway to prevent traffic jams and ensure timely arrivals at college.

Highways Executive Engineer Muhammad Ahmad told Dawn that the Punjab government has allocated Rs5.577 billion for the reconstruction of half of the ring road from Faisalabad-Jhang-Sargodha Road.

He added that the department is considering upgrading the road to a dual carriageway, pending additional funds from the Punjab government. The tendering process is underway, and repair work will begin soon.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2024