No wheels allowed: To get to Civil Secretariat, a car won’t do

Restrictions on parking, public transport forces people to walk to the premises.

PESHAWAR: If you happen to want to go to the Civil Secretariat, Shanks’s pony is the only plausible option. Public transport has been restricted to a radius of several metres and parking has been forbidden since the precarious security situation became a regular feature of the Walled City.

Even the secretariat’s own employees are not allowed to drive their vehicles into the provincial government’s headquarters, let alone visitors. “I park my car in Khyber Bazaar near Lady Reading Hospital and walk all the way,” Farmanullah, a government hospital employee, told The Express Tribune.

Farmanullah has been paying several visits to the secretariat and said leaving his vehicle at the charged parking lot is the only solution. As the parking business thrives in the sprawling city, locals are left with little option but to conform.

Secretariat employees have resorted to commuting by foot. “We used to park our vehicles near Gate 3 but even that luxury was taken thanks to security arrangements,” said Rasool Khan, a senior official at the secretariat, adding instead the space was taken over by police line employees.

The chief minister took the matter up in August 2013 and directed the administration department to ensure the parking space near Gate 3 is utilised by secretariat employees. The provincial ombudsman was also approached who, in September 2014, gave a month-long deadline for the implementation of the orders but like several other matters, the issue still hangs in the balance.

“Hundreds of people visit the establishment daily and cross numerous hurdles before arriving at the cornerstone of the offices,” said Rasool Khan, adding public transport is already banned in the area and the parking issue has made matters worse. The official said car parks and security procedures are managed simultaneously at important installations worldwide. “Two guards can inspect incoming vehicles and check the papers of drivers,” he said.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, administration department estate officer Yasir Hassan said a parking facility is being constructed adjacent to the Communication and Works department building. “The lot can accommodate 400 vehicles and is expected to be completed by June 2015,” he noted, adding the construction is taking longer because transporting building materials into the red zone requires a lengthy process. Hassan maintained work is still under way on war footing at that both visitors and employees will be able to use the facility within a few months.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 8^th, 2015.