Collective action: Traders, clerics come up with proposals for flyover

Say demolition of mosques not acceptable; ask for resolution of affected businesses’ concerns.

GUJRANWALA:

Several traders’ and clerics’ bodies in Gujranwala agreed, on four proposals, on Monday for the district and provincial governments to ensure that construction of a flyover on GT Road was undertaken without resistance.

The proposals put forth at a recent meeting in Jamia Masjid at Sheranwala Bagh, the starting point of the flyover, are: the length of the flyover be increased so that it starts at Sheikhupura Mor and ends at the General Bus Stand, none of the three mosques in the area be demolished and concerns of traders who have shops along the route be addressed. They also urged the government to consider widening GT Road as an alternative to the construction of the flyover.

The meeting attended by representatives of Markazi Anjuman Tajiran of Gujranwala (Central Traders Association of Gujranwala) and prayer leaders of the three mosques located on the flyover’s route demanded that the starting point of the flyover be Sheikhupura Mor, instead of Sherawalan Bagh. They said the flyover should end at the General Bus Stand, rather than Jinnah Stadium on Sialkot Road.

Maulana Zahidur Rashidi, who is leading the clerics, told The Express Tribune that an 11 member committee, formed in the meeting, would soon present the proposals to the district coordination officer.

Besides Rashidi, the committee has Qari Zahid Saleem of the District Aman Committee, Babar Rizwan Bajwa, Maulana Mushtaq Cheema, Talat Mahmood and Mian Akram from the clerics’ side and CTAG president Haji Nazir, CTAG vice-president Fazlur Rahman Khurana, former mayor Aslam Butt, Abdul Rauf Mughal and Mian Fazlur Rahman from the traders’ side.

Rashidi said any decisions by the committee would be acceptable to all traders and clerics who stand to be affected by the construction of the flyover.

The committee, however, does not include any member of the Motorcycle and Electronics Sellers Association, whose members run most of the 300 shops along the affected route (from Sheranwalan Bagh to Iqbal High School on GT Road and from Sialkoti Gate on Jinnah Stadium on Sialkot Road).

MESA president Mir Anees said while his association was not invited to the meeting, he hoped that the committee would keep its concerns in mind when it starts negotiations with the government.

He said the MESA would not accept relocation of shops if the new location was not an attractive prospect. He said the government offer of shops near Chichar Stop on Sialkot Bypass Link Road was unacceptable. He said Upper Chenab Canal flowed on one side of the road, making it unattractive for business.

EDO (Works) Qamar Zaidi said that the government was aware of the concerns of businesses and mosques along the route. He said the design of the flyover would be finalised in consultation with the stakeholders.

Meanwhile, work is underway to finalise the design of the flyover. Superintending Engineer of the National Highways Authority Khalid Pervaiz told The Tribune that engineers from the National Engineering Service Pakistan Limited had visited the site four times for the purpose. The visit last Saturday was undertaken to map the location of infrastructure of public utilities like Sui Gas and Water and Power Authority along the flyover route.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 19^th, 2012.