Ring Road fencing sparks protest
Residents and landowners from Maira Mohra staged a protest on Sunday against the fencing erected around the Chak Beli Khan Road section of the Maira Mohra Interchange on the Rawalpindi Ring Road, demanding the immediate restoration of a longstanding public access route to their agricultural land.
The demonstrators carried placards and banners, urging Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to intervene and resolve what they described as the growing hardships caused by the closure of the route.
The protest was led by PML-N leader Raja Ilyas Kyani, former chairman Zia Mahmood Chaudhry, and other local representatives.
Addressing the gathering, Mr Kyani said the closure of the public route, which is recorded in official revenue documents, had cut off access to agricultural land, creating serious difficulties for farmers and landowners. He maintained that the Punjab government's Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the Ring Road project clearly stipulated that no public or government-owned route recorded in the revenue record would be blocked.
He urged the authorities to honour those commitments by restoring the historic route or providing a permanent alternative to ensure uninterrupted access to agricultural land. The PML-N leader warned that if the issue remained unresolved, residents would continue their peaceful protest within the ambit of the law.
The protesters said land for the Rawalpindi Ring Road project had been acquired under the Land Acquisition Act, and compensation awards had been duly issued before construction of the Maira Mohra Interchange commenced.
According to the affected residents, revenue officials visited the area during the initial stages of the project and verbally assured local people that, in response to public concerns, the scope of the interchange would be reduced. They claimed they had also been informed that the entry and exit roads would be sufficient for the project and that any surplus acquired land would be returned to its original owners.
However, they alleged that approximately two weeks ago, the authorities fenced off hundreds of kanals surrounding the interchange without prior notice, severing the only access route linking residents to their farmland.
The protesters further contended that the blocked route forms part of the official revenue record and has served for decades as the principal public thoroughfare connecting Maira Mohra with Mandiyal village and the adjoining agricultural fields. They added that project officials had previously assured residents that, wherever a recognised public route existed, access via an underpass would be provided, but that commitment has yet to be fulfilled.
Former local chairman Zia Mahmood Chaudhry appealed to the provincial chief executive to take immediate notice of the issue and direct the relevant authorities to restore safe and permanent access to agricultural land. He stressed that farmers should not be deprived of their livelihoods because of unresolved access issues arising from a public infrastructure project.
The protesters called upon the Punjab government to ensure the strict implementation of its own SOPs, restore the historic public route recorded in the revenue record, and address the concerns of the affected residents without delay.
They expressed hope that the Chief Minister would order an immediate inquiry and direct the relevant authorities to restore the route, thereby easing the difficulties faced by local communities.
The local leaders warned that if their legitimate demands were ignored and permanent access to their agricultural land was not ensured, they reserved the right to continue peaceful protests in accordance with the Constitution and the law.