Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi laid the foundation stone of the Rs3.1 billion Akbar Chowk underpass and flyover project on Tuesday and ordered its completion within 90 days.
The project comprising a 700-metre flyover and 540-metre underpass is designed for two lanes of traffic each way, serving the needs of commuters from Faisal Town, Johar Town, Kot Lakhpat and nearby localities.
The LDA director general gave a briefing to the caretaker CM on the project’s key features and benefits. He said the transparent tendering process had yielded notable cost savings.
The caretaker CM emphasised that he would not allow any project in Lahore to be stalled because he was a proud citizen of the provincial capital.
He said that the Akbar Chowk project should be completed in 90 days rather than the scheduled four months.
He said the project design had been inherited from the previous government and efforts would be made to complete it as soon as possible.
He also emphasised that remodeling of the next intersection was necessary after the completion of the project to maintain traffic flow.
During a media interaction, the caretaker CM disclosed that an agreement had been finalised with the PCB regarding the procurement of lighting equipment. In order to curtail significant expenses in the future, the decision was made to refrain from renting the lights.
He highlighted that Rs600 million had been spent on renting lights last year, while this year the cost amounted to Rs500 million.
Mohsin Naqvi stated elections would take place whenever ordered.
He said he had not engaged in any vindictive acts. “We anticipated that there would be numerous arrests, resulting in the transfer of some detainees to jails in other cities,” he said in reply to a question.
The caretaker CM also said that estimated expenditure on the proposed horse and cattle show was too high and there were no sponsors to bear the expenses. He said the cost of Rs900 million was too high, especially since there were no sponsors.
On the other hand, the Jashan-e-Baharan could take place thanks to the support of sponsors, and the government did not have to allocate any funds for it, he added.
He stressed the importance of prioritising the completion of ongoing projects.
The projects that can be finished quickly will receive special attention.
Mohsin Naqvi said the CBD Kalma Chowk remodelling project was scheduled to be completed by March 23. Assistance will also be provided to ensure the timely completion of the cantonment underpass near the Quaid-i-Azam Interchange.
However, traffic issues persisted due to encroachments and the commissioner of Lahore was actively working to address the problem, he stated and reminded the Lahore Development Authority of its responsibility to ensure that private housing schemes had all the necessary facilities.
Provincial Ministers SM Tanveer, Ibrahim Hasan Murad and Azfar Ali Nasir, information. secretary, commissioner and capital city police officer of Lahore and other officials were also present.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 1st, 2023.
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