BAHAWALPUR, Feb 11: The National Highway Authority (NHA) chairman has ordered completion of one of the two lanes of the dual Bahawalpur-Tarinda section by March 23.

The dualization of the busy highway was taken in hand in December 2002 at a cost of Rs2,700 million. It was to be built within two years' period by December 2004. But inordinate delay in the completion of the project is causing inconvenience to commuters and motorists.

NHA Deputy Director Shahid Khan told Dawn that the construction work had been geared up. He said a proposal for the construction of an overhead bridge at Ahmedpur East's Abbasia Chowk had been dropped.

Instead, he said an underpass would do the needful. He further said the new highway bridge costing about Rs218 million on Sutlej near Bahawalpur would also be ready by March 23.