Govt given three weeks to manage traffic, pollution

PHC expresses discontent at situation

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday expressed discontent over the environmental and traffic issues being created by the ongoing construction of the Bus Rapid Transit project in the city and the lack of any plan to control the situation.

The court subsequently directed the provincial Environment Protection Agency (EPA), the traffic police, military police and the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) to sit together and devise a solid plan to manage the traffic mess in the city and control the pollution caused by construction activities on the main road by February 15.

A two-judge bench of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) comprising Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Muhammad Ghazanfar Khan heard reports relating to traffic and environmental issues due to the BRT project.

In its December 7, 2017, verdict on a petition filed by a Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader against the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, the court had declared that while the project was being built with lawful authority, while the EPA was told to regularly submit reports on the environmental issues caused by the project.

PDA director general told the court that due to the construction work, the city had seen a spike in the dirt and air pollution for which, he claimed, PDA had to sprinkle the road with water three times a day.

Capital City Police Officer Tahir Khan, who appeared before the court on Thursday, said that they were trying to control the traffic mess caused by the project.

“It is due to the security check posts on the roads, which have further added to the traffic issues of the city,” lawyer Qazi Muhammad Anwar contented during the hearing.

“People have to wait for hours at these check posts.”

The court directed the PDA DG, Peshawar traffic police, EPA and the military police to devise a solid strategy for mitigating these issues by February 15.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 26^th, 2018.