Red tape: Korang Bridge still a distant dream

Delays by ICT admin putting lives in danger.

ISLAMABAD: The failure of the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Administration to construct a bridge over the Korang River may have contributed to an incident where a private car fell into the river on Thursday night. All three people in the car were rescued by locals.

The ICT Administration was supposed to construct a bridge over the Korang River, but the project’s existence has been limited to paper for the past five years, despite continuing losses of life and property in every monsoon season.

On Thursday, a car coming from Bani Gala fell into the river when the driver tried to cross the flooded road. Local residents were able to rescue all three people in the car, but the vehicle was lost. Continuous rains have essentially cut off the main link between rural Korang and urban Islamabad as the road is taken by almost all traffic going to and fro.

The Korang River is fed by water from streams in Murree and adjacent areas.

“If the administration can carpet Korang Road leading towards [Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman] Imran Khan’s house in Bani Gala, why they don’t construct a bridge, which is in greater public interest,” asked Nafeesa Begum, a resident of Bani Gala.

Other locals demanded that the government immediately start construction of the bridge.

In July 2010, when floods ravaged much of the country, two people lost their life when their car fell into the same river. The same year, around Rs830.252 million in losses were incurred in the suburbs of the capital due to the havoc wrecked by rains. A number of crossing bridges, street and roads were also damaged in different Union Council UCs of the city, and many have still not been repaired. “This is the failure of local administration… it has still not built a bridge,” said Muhammad Afzal, a resident of Bani Gala.

He said that every time it rains, every monsoon season, he feels anxious while travelling on Korang Road because it always gets flooded.

Dangerous riverside roads

After the 2010 floods, the ICT conducted a survey and declared 21 small riverside roads ‘dangerous’ and proposed to make 53 bridges in different union councils at a total cost of Rs1.3 billion. Initially, Rs53.7 million was allocated for the designing and survey purposes. However, after four years, the administration has yet to pursue the project. Repeated attempts were made to contact Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Mujahid Sherdil, but he was not available for comment.

Gas pipeline damaged 

Due to heavy rains, the main gas pipeline in the area has been damaged, resulting in a regional supply suspension. A Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited official said that main line was damaged in the rain and several areas were affected including Bhara Kahu and Bani Gala. According to the official, the line would be repaired on Friday night and supply restored by Saturday morning.

Rain in Islamabad

Heavy rain continued in Islamabad for the second-consecutive day and will go on for the next 48 hours. According to a met official, 243mm of rain was recorded in Islamabad on Friday.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 6^th, 2014.