One bridge of the Muslim Town Flyover will open for traffic on Friday, regardless of whether Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif inaugurates it, officials said.
Project Director Sabir Khan Saddozai said that the chief minister would visit the site to inspect the work and he was expected to inaugurate it. In any case, he said, the bridge for traffic heading from Ichhra to Gaddafi Stadium would be opened. He said that this would ease the traffic situation and allow the start of work on repairing the service lanes. The inauguration of the flyover was expected to be the main engagement of the chief minister for Pakistan Day, March 23, but workers have been unable to complete it. He will distribute laptops amongst students in a ceremony at the Punjab University on Friday.
The day will begin with a 21-gun salute at 6am. The national flag will be hoisted at all government and semi-government buildings in the city. Special prayers will be held in mosques.
A Police Shuhada Day ceremony will be held at Police Lines, Qila Gujjar Singh, where Inspector General Habibur Rehaman will distribute cash awards among the families of policemen killed in the line of duty.
Police will remain on red alert in the city in order to maintain a peaceful atmosphere during celebrations of Pakistan Day. Capital City Police Officer Ahmed Raza Tahir said that more than 8,000 police officers and jawans would be on security duty on the day.
At a meeting on Wednesday, the CCPO ordered the city police to check all hotels, inns and bus and van stands to ward off the possibility of subversion and to ensure law and order.
Tahir said that all entry and exit points of the city would be monitored. He said that crisis management centres had been established which would function around the clock, while a special control room had also been set up in the CCPO’s office for coordination between various agencies.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 23rd, 2012.
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I was very impressed by improvements to Lahore during my last trip to the city. The Ring Road was a sheer delight. I can see why Shahbaz Sharif enjoys the support of the local population because he gets things done for the people in Punjab.