“One of the bigger reasons for the delay is a sudden order by Prime Minister Sharif to widen the road from 6.1 to 7.3 metres, which he made in July 2014 during his speech at the re-launch of the project,” the official said.
When the premier directed for the road to be widened, it meant that electric poles, gas lines, PTCL fibre optics, graveyards, markets and houses were now in the way of the new road and they are yet to be cleared off.
It is also yet to be decided if the road is to pass through the Dhudial Town, through land owned by Pakistan Railways or if there should be a bypass instead. According to the initial plans, the road was to pass through Dhudial. Land at the left of the town is owned by Pakistan Railways and that on the right side is a residential area.
Pakistan Railways does not want to give up its land because, according to a Supreme Court order, it has to revive the dismantled Mandra-Chakwal track. On the other hand, if the road is to pass through the town, the government will have to demolish shops and infrastructure.
“The only solution is to construct a 2.5 kilometre bypass because we will have to build one in a decade and a half anyways,” a senior official said.
To save Chakwal from heavy traffic, a 14 kilometre bypass was also approved which was to be built from Bekhri Village to Talagang Road but funds for the said bypass are yet to be released.
Every day, there are reports of at least a couple of accidents on the Mandra-Chakwal Road, the sides of which have been dug up. When asked, Major Maqbool Alam who is NLC project manager, and executive engineer of PWD Quanateer Ahmed claimed the project will be completed by March 2017.
Similar claims were also made by MNA Raja Javed Akhlas and Senator Abdul Qayyum.
Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2016