PHC livid as orders to clear roads get ‘stuck in traffic’

Directs respondents to file replies in a month’s time

PESHAWAR: Nearly two months after the court had first ordered, the Sahibzada Abdul Qayum Khan road in Peshawar remains dotted with roadblocks. The lack of progress on its orders has drawn the ire of the court which directed the respondents to explain what efforts were made to comply with its orders.

Last year on December 5, a two-judge bench of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) had directed the cantonment board’s chief executive officer (CEO) to submit a report regarding the presence of security check posts on major thoroughfares within the jurisdiction of the board and to remove them in a phased manner to help restore confidence of the people and provide relief against chronic traffic jams.

In particular, the PHC had directed the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government and the cantonment board (CBP) to open the Sahibzada Abdul Qayum Khan Road for general traffic. The road connects Khyber road with Sher Shah Suri Road. Despite being a vital road with the governor and the chief minister house on it, it was closed since it passes through the cantonment area.

The directives were issued during the initial hearing of a writ petition filed by advocate Muhammad Khurshid Khan, who had requested the court to clear the roads of restrictions, especially the extra security check posts which had worsened the traffic mess in the city, compounded by the construction of the Bus Rapid Transit system.

On Thursday, the two-judge bench of the PHC, comprising Justice Qalandar Ali Khan and Justice Muhammad Ayub Khan, took up the case again and expressed displeasure over the non-compliance of the court’s orders.

“All the roads must be opened for public,” Justice Qalander remarked. “The court has earlier issued directives in this regard, what efforts have so far been made to provide relief to the public?”

The cantonment board’s CEO did not appear before the court either on Thursday.

“The CEO has been transferred, now the report will be submitted when the new CEO takes charge,” officials of CBP responded when asked to present the report.

The petitioner also directed the PHC’s attention towards obstacles placed outside the Iranian consulate in University town, the closure of a road near the civil secretariat and fort road for public use.

He added that during the construction of a mega project of BRT, huge traffic jams have become a routine.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 19^th, 2018.