Road, bridge project in Rawalpindi UC-46 hits snags

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz governments have failed to construct an alternate road and a bridge over a nullah in the Union Council-46 covering Naya Mohalla Liaquat Road to Nishat Cinema near Nullah Leh Bridge in the last 13 years. The locality is inhabited by the low-income group. The project cost has soared from Rs80 million to Rs13 million as representatives of both parties have failed to initiate work on the projects.

PML-N Mayor Sardar Naseem put up a board of the project in 2015 and did it again in 2017, however, his government’s tenure ended and the bridge and the road project could not be started. The PML-N mayor has retained the charge after the local bodies were restored but the project has been put on the backburner. The PML-N could not complete the project during its 10-year tenure on the pretext of lack of funds.

When the PTI government was formed in Punjab, Provincial Minister Raja Rashid Hafiz laid the foundation of the project again in 2019 and announced to complete the project. The PTI government carried out work only on100 feet of the nullah of the 840 feet. The PTI minister did not look back again and work on 640 feet of the drain was still pending. The drain inundates the Naya neighbourhood and adjoining areas during the monsoon season every year and rainwater accumulates up to 12 feet. Interestingly, Senior PTI MPA Aijaz Khan has been living near the drain for years and it is also the constituency of Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed and Provincial Minister Raja Rashid Hafiz.

The project was designed to keep 15,000 inhabitants of the adjoining areas safe from the devastation of flooding. The PTI minister had also announced that the projects would be complete in three years but it has been two years now since the construction work has come to a halt. The cement, steel, and other construction material on the site have also been taken away by people. The provincial minister said that they did not have funds to complete the project and it could not be restarted until they receive funding. Locals including Haji Nawaz, Iqbal Khan and Nawazish Ali said that they have been ditched by every government.

They said that politicians visit the area only for votes and never return after elections. They said that floods sweep away their belongings and savings every year. The locals said that they will only vote for the candidate in the next elections who will first complete the project, otherwise, the whole area will boycott polling.