GUJRAT: The carpeting of the 45-kilometre-long road linking Hafizabad city to the divisional headquarters Gujrat via Ali Pur Chatha town of Wazirabad, has been initiated by the provincial highways department at an estimated cost of Rs8 billion.

The project’s first phase comprises widening and carpeting of a 23km-long stretch of Hafizabad-Gujrat road, up to Ali Pur Chatha town of Wazirabad, while in the second phase, the road will be built up to the Khanki Headworks at the border of Gujrat and Wazirabad.

However, from Khanki Headworks to Gujrat city, the road is already built, a Hafizabad district administration official told Dawn on Sunday.

He said the project was approved by the then Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi back in September 2022 following Gujrat was given the status of 10th divisional headquarters of Punjab, wherein Hafizabad district was detached from Gujranwala division and included in Gujrat division.

However, political circles of Hafizabad resisted the district’s inclusion in Gujrat and in a bid to address their reservations, the then MNA Moonis Elahi had proposed a direct road link between the two districts and the project was approved forthwith.

The project was, however, halted by the caretaker government installed after the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly in January 2023.

The Punjab government has recently issued a fresh notification declaring Gujrat as the 10th division of the province and keeping Hafizabad district as a part of the new division.

The projects ground work has been launched after the issuance of funds by the government.

Hafizabad Deputy Commissioner Abdul Razzaq, special secretary Punjab communication and works (C&W) department Usman Khalid and other officials inspected the road carpeting word on Sunday and directed the contractor firm to ensure the use of quality material and timely completion of the project.

The road starts from Saager Headworks just three kilometres from Hafizabad city and the first phase is likely to complete by June this year, says an official and added that the second phase would be completed in the next fiscal year.

Similarly, he said that with the construction of the link road, the distance and time to reach M-2 and M-4 motorways from Gujrat and Wazirabad cities may also be reduced. After completion of the project the travel time betweenGujrat and Hafizabad will be reduced to one hour and 15 minutes, the official says.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2025