Sabzazar drain reconstruction infuriates locals

For locals living in densely populated areas of the rain-prone city, the initiation of a reconstruction project for expanding the local drainage network would surely be a welcome move however, when the resulting repair work requires them to suffocate on dust and bear with incessant traffic jams for more than three long years, many would hope the project was never announced in the first place.

During the financial year 2021-22, the PTI government had initiated a million-rupee project to construct a new sewage drain from Sabzazar Scheme Mor to Kharak Nala since the old drain between Main Boulevard and Sabzazar had become inadequate for catering to the disposal needs of the growing population. Even though work on the Rs337 million initiative started soon after, within a few months a dispute between the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) and the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) over the disbursement of funds caused the project to come to a standstill, leaving the local population of more than 2.5 million residents in a tormenting state.

With one side of the main boulevard road closed since the past four months due to the reinstallation of pipes, thousands of vehicles have been forced to ply both ways on a single side of the road. To add to the load of traffic on the road, dozens of roadside food shops and stalls have turned into mini food streets, with shoppers parking their cars and bikes on the roadside, resulting in regular accidents and quarrels. Furthermore, several feet of rainwater have accumulated on the road while the dust from the broken road has been making the residents of the area sick for several months.

"The delays in the construction work have instigated frequent traffic jams. Moreover, the air in our area has become so dusty that it is difficult to breathe. It seems that the present government is not interested in completing this project since it was initiated by the previous regime. Surprisingly, even the caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, known for his 'Mohsin Speed', did not pay attention to the problem facing millions of people," resented Nabila Shahid and Anbrin Malik, locals from the area.

Similarly, Asim Khawaja, a shop owner at Liaquat Chowk, revealed that the long-running project had significantly diminished the sales of hundreds of traders like him. "Since one side of the road is in an unusable condition, customers have little or no access to our shops," said Khawaja.

According to Muhammad Umar, a resident of Sabzazar, Sabzazar is a very important area of Lahore as residents of Murghazar, Awan Town, Hasan Town, Syedpur, Dabanpura, Hafiz Town and several other areas use the Main Boulevard to access the highway from Babu Sabu Chowk, but since the past four years this entire area has been left in ruins due to the conflict between WASA and LDA.

It is worth mentioning that Rs300 million have been spent on the project till January 2024 while the overall cost of the project is expected to increase due to the increasing costs of construction material and labour over the years.

Talking to The Express Tribune, PML-N Member Punjab Assembly Khalid Khokhar and National Assembly ticket holder Hafiz Nauman said, "There was a disagreement between WASA and LDA over the issue of funds which has now been resolved. We have met the DG of LDA and apprised him of the plight of the people. We have been assured that work on the project will resume in September as soon as the monsoon season is over. A tender is being issued for the outstanding work."