RAWALPINDI: The Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) recently leased out a space meant for a green belt and parking under the 6th Road flyover to two food outlets, leading to traffic congestion in one of the busiest areas in Satellite Town.

Residents complained that the visitors to the main bazaar in the area parked their vehicles and motorbikes in the adjoining streets after the parking space under the flyover was reduced for commercial activities.

Bilal Abbasi, a local resident along Murree Road, said that traffic jams had become a regular occurrence due to commercial activities under the bridge. He said it was difficult to go to Shamsabad and Islamabad from Data Gunj Bux Road while using this square.

Residents complain decision to re-purpose area under Sixth Road flyover source of traffic jams

“Strangely, the traffic police have closed the U-turn from the 6th Road square to Murree Road and people en route to Shamsabad have to go to 6th Road to access Murree Road,” he said. 6th Road is a hub of schools and colleges and due to a long queue of vehicles it’s difficult to take a U-turn from this road to reach Shamsabad, he added. Sajid Minhas, a resident of Rehmanabad, said that traffic congestion under the flyover created problems for commuters, travelling between Islamabad and Rawalpindi, even in the afternoon.

He criticised the PHA, saying instead of the green belt, the commercial ventures were allowed to utilise the state land. Sajjad Haider, a resident of Satellite Town D-Block, said that due to a lack of parking space, there was no space for shoppers to park their vehicles, and quarrels between the residents and visitors had become frequent. He claimed most people parked their vehicles for more than three to four hours in residential areas which created problems for locals.

Abdul Samad said the residents finally got the civic body to put up a ‘no parking’ banner in the residential area to dissuade people from parking there. He said before the outlets, there was an ample parking space under the flyover but after their establishment, people started to park in the streets along Murree Road.

PHA Director General Ahmad Hassan Ranjha told Dawn that the authority leased out the space after a bidding process. “Rs170,000 per month for a Quetta café and Rs350,000 per month rent from another food outlet that sells fish,” he said.

He claimed both outlets had been asked by the PHA to develop a ‘play area’ on half of the space to cater to the youth. He said that PHA did not end the parking lot in the area and it would develop a dedicated site for parking. “Earlier, the site had become a ‘sitting area’ and people and shopkeepers would dump garbage [under the flyover]. The PHA had to clear the area on a daily basis so it decided to utilise the space for recreational purposes,” he said.

He said the PHA was also planning to develop a play area for youngsters at Chandni Chowk while allocating some space for a parking lot. “We have already leased out a space near Benazir Bhutto Hospital for the parking of private ambulances and the remaining part will be developed soon,” he said.

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2024