PHC orders reopening of Swat Expressway entry points

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has ordered to reopen the entry points at Colonel Sher Khan Interchange, seeking a report by March 29.

A division bench, headed by Chief Justice of Peshawar High court Qaiser Rashid Khan, heard the case regarding Swat Expressway.

The Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) director, Additional Advocate General Syed Sikandar Hayat Shah, and National Highway Authority (NHA) lawyer Sikandar Rashid were present.

During the hearing, the FWO director apprised the court that he had visited the expressway and identified the spots where there were problems. He said that after the completion of the survey, as soon as the funds were available, they would fix it in a month.

During the hearing, the chief justice asked the NHA lawyer about what happened to the entry point at Colonel Sher Khan Interchange.

He said that Colonel Sher Khan Interchange was with FWO, and they had written a letter for reopening it.

On this occasion, the chief justice remarked that it was their responsibility to look into it and reopen the entry point.

People were facing difficulties at the Colonel Sher Khan Interchange entry point as only one entry point was open, and there were long queues of vehicles, wherein there were elderly and children, he added.

CJ Rashid directed them to resolve the issue till the next hearing. Later, the court adjourned the hearing, seeking a report.

The former chief minister Mahmood Khan last year laid the foundation of Swat Motorway Phase-II.

The 88-km Swat Motorway Phase-II starting from Chakdara and culminating at Fatehpur will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs36.404 billion.

Motorway would have four lanes but it could be extended to six lanes in the future. As many as 9 interchanges at various sites and eight bridges on the River Swat would be constructed under the project.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 24^th, 2023.