Without prior notice: CBC attempts to give DHA roads a facelift
According to the shopkeepers, most of the work takes place in the evening due to the hot weather during the day
PHOTO: PHOTOBUCKET
KARACHI:
If you are a resident of Defence Housing Authority (DHA) you are probably used to snaking your way around dug up roads and craters in the middle of main roads.
This is because the Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) has decided to repave the roads in the neighbourhood — but they failed to give the residents fair notice. Some of the roads are being repaved as they desperately needed maintenance; others are being dug up to lay down new water and sewerage lines.
One road that is being constructed from scratch is 26th Street, which starts at Abdullah Shah Ghazi's shrine and passes through Tauheed and Badar commercial areas as it goes all the way into Phase VIII. After the recent inauguration of the flyover and underpasses by Bahria, the drive onto 26th Street was a harsh reminder that the road badly needed repairs.
This road is being built entirely from scratch as it was in such bad shape, said CBC spokesperson Amir Arab. "It hasn't been repaired for the last six or seven years," he said. "We are constructing it as traffic flow has increased."
Meanwhile, parts of Khayaban-e-Bahria, Khayaban-e-Shujaat and other smaller streets will only receive patchwork and necessary repairs. The CBC spokesperson refused to share any more details about the project. Its chief engineer, who is overseeing the project, said he was not authorised to speak to the media.
As the work is underway, heavy machinery is parked on 26th Street right across from KFC in Badar Commercial area, with one track of the road closed for traffic. According to the shopkeepers, most of the carpeting work takes place in the evening due to the hot weather during the day.
DHA spokesperson Major Aurangzeb explained that the supply lines are being laid down on the lanes off Khayaban-e-Badar. In Phase VIII, new supply lines are being laid down, he added.
Residents irked
Since the CBC and DHA both failed to warn the residents in advance, most of them woke up to find the road outside their house dug up and closed for traffic. One such resident, who lives on main 26th Street, said they were not told beforehand that the roads were being repaired. "We can't take out our cars on the road and are restricted to our homes only," he said. "We face a lot of problems while commuting."
The CBC also does not seem to have given much thought to a traffic diversion plan. Most commuters find themselves facing a 'Sorry for the inconvenience' signboard before they have to find an alternative way to their destination.
Asad Kizilbash of the Defence Society Residents Association (DSRA) said that they have asked the authorities again and again to inform the people beforehand about the work being done. They have suggested putting up boards that tell the residents about the duration of the work, and even details about the contractors. But nothing has been done like that, said Kizilbash.
The neighbourhoods of DHA fall within the NA-250 constituency that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf won after re-elections were conducted in 2013. Its parliamentarian, Samar Ali Khan, also felt the CBC authorities should have given the residents at least a 15-day notice.
It was nearly three months ago that Khan and his team met CBC officials and stressed the need to repair the roads and improve traffic. They also demanded the CBC improve the traffic situation in Zamzama which, according to Khan, is being used like a parking lot. "We have demanded wider pavements on Zamzama."
Published in The Express Tribune, June 19th, 2015.
If you are a resident of Defence Housing Authority (DHA) you are probably used to snaking your way around dug up roads and craters in the middle of main roads.
This is because the Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) has decided to repave the roads in the neighbourhood — but they failed to give the residents fair notice. Some of the roads are being repaved as they desperately needed maintenance; others are being dug up to lay down new water and sewerage lines.
One road that is being constructed from scratch is 26th Street, which starts at Abdullah Shah Ghazi's shrine and passes through Tauheed and Badar commercial areas as it goes all the way into Phase VIII. After the recent inauguration of the flyover and underpasses by Bahria, the drive onto 26th Street was a harsh reminder that the road badly needed repairs.
This road is being built entirely from scratch as it was in such bad shape, said CBC spokesperson Amir Arab. "It hasn't been repaired for the last six or seven years," he said. "We are constructing it as traffic flow has increased."
Meanwhile, parts of Khayaban-e-Bahria, Khayaban-e-Shujaat and other smaller streets will only receive patchwork and necessary repairs. The CBC spokesperson refused to share any more details about the project. Its chief engineer, who is overseeing the project, said he was not authorised to speak to the media.
As the work is underway, heavy machinery is parked on 26th Street right across from KFC in Badar Commercial area, with one track of the road closed for traffic. According to the shopkeepers, most of the carpeting work takes place in the evening due to the hot weather during the day.
DHA spokesperson Major Aurangzeb explained that the supply lines are being laid down on the lanes off Khayaban-e-Badar. In Phase VIII, new supply lines are being laid down, he added.
Residents irked
Since the CBC and DHA both failed to warn the residents in advance, most of them woke up to find the road outside their house dug up and closed for traffic. One such resident, who lives on main 26th Street, said they were not told beforehand that the roads were being repaired. "We can't take out our cars on the road and are restricted to our homes only," he said. "We face a lot of problems while commuting."
The CBC also does not seem to have given much thought to a traffic diversion plan. Most commuters find themselves facing a 'Sorry for the inconvenience' signboard before they have to find an alternative way to their destination.
Asad Kizilbash of the Defence Society Residents Association (DSRA) said that they have asked the authorities again and again to inform the people beforehand about the work being done. They have suggested putting up boards that tell the residents about the duration of the work, and even details about the contractors. But nothing has been done like that, said Kizilbash.
The neighbourhoods of DHA fall within the NA-250 constituency that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf won after re-elections were conducted in 2013. Its parliamentarian, Samar Ali Khan, also felt the CBC authorities should have given the residents at least a 15-day notice.
It was nearly three months ago that Khan and his team met CBC officials and stressed the need to repair the roads and improve traffic. They also demanded the CBC improve the traffic situation in Zamzama which, according to Khan, is being used like a parking lot. "We have demanded wider pavements on Zamzama."
Published in The Express Tribune, June 19th, 2015.