Road punctuated by illegal occupation and power pylons. PHOTO: FILE
The road was completed in “a rare feat of performance” well before the estimated time by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government’s Emergency Road Recovery Project (ERRP) under the Post Crisis Need Assessment (PCNA) programme, said an official on Wednesday.
The PCNA is a joint initiative of the Asian Development Bank, European Union, World Bank, United Nations and the provincial government, which aims to come up with a pragmatic peace-building strategy to fight militancy and promote prosperity.
“Even though it was state property, people were still compensated after encroachments were removed from the roadside. However, they (the encroachers) are still not complying,” an official at Civil Secretariat Peshawar told The Express Tribune.
Stretching over 15.5 kilometers, Shamozai-Kanju Road was built at an estimated cost of $8 million and completed in January 2013 – nine months before the projected time of completion.
In addition to encroachment by the local population, power pylons set up by the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) are also a cause of the clutter. “Four power pylons are yet to be removed and we have been told by Wapda officials that eight other power pylons supporting high power transmission lines cannot be taken down,” added the official.
The project was initiated particularly to facilitate security forces in gaining quick access to the region. The official said international donors need to change their policy of compensating people and funds should only be disbursed after encroachments are removed.
ERRP Director Muhammad Aslam Khan said encroachments are an increasing problem, adding they are seeking help from the local administration. “Because the road was completed well before the due time, we are in a good position and the World Bank has agreed to finance another 13-kilometer road at an estimated cost of $9.1 million,” said Khan, adding a formal approval for the new project is expected in the coming month.
Stressing on the need to remove encroachments, the ERRP director said United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) is considering funding the last portion of Shamozai-Kanju Road, i.e. the Chakdara-Shamozai section. This will provide an alternative route from Chakdara to Kanju, Mingora and connect it to Madyan on the right bank of Swat River.
“These projects will help decrease traffic on the N-95 road, reduce distances and generate revenue as well,” added Khan.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 26th, 2013.
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