Parking plazas in Quetta on the cards

QMC submits its report on anti-encroachment drive to BHC

QUETTA: Authorities on Saturday informed the Balochistan High Court (BHC) that parking plazas are being planned to be constructed in Quetta to reduce to traffic congestion in the provincial capital.

The Quetta Metropolitan Corporation (QMC) submitted a brief report on the anti-encroachment drive in the city to a BHC bench comprising Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Justice Rozi Khan Barrech.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Advocate Agha Nazeer requesting its intervention in the traffic and encroachment issues, which are causing great inconvenience to citizens.

The advocate general for Balochistan and the Quetta deputy inspector general of police appeared before the court and said the government is planning to build parking plazas in the city to overcome the problem.

“The traffic police have finalised a presentation of a master plan for the city that will be submitted to the Balochistan chief minister and we are optimistic he will approve it,” Quetta DIG Abdul Razzaq Cheema told the court.

Sharing short-terms planning on traffic issues, the SSP traffic and the Quetta DIG informed the court that they were working on slip roads on Saleem Complex Junction, Kawari Road and Patel Road which would reduce traffic problems for citizens.

A representative of the QMC said the corporation is carrying out an anti-encroachment drive across the city. “We have been meeting various government departments to obtain state properties for road expansion,” he added.

Drawing the court’s attention towards Jinnah-Zarghoon Link Road, the petitioner said the thoroughfare was still closed and the Quetta administrator and the revenue staff should visit the site and review the revenue records to open it for commuters.

The court ordered the departments concerned to work jointly in order to address the traffic issues in the provincial capital. It also asked the QMC to submit another report on the anti-encroachment drive in the next hearing. The hearing was adjourned till October 16. 

Published in The Express Tribune, September 22^nd, 2019.