IJP construction delays

Residents face immense problems due to complete closure of the road

Islamabad: The persistent delays in the completion of the mega reconstruction project of the Inter-Junction Principal (IJP) road between Rawalpindi and Islamabad is creating hurdles for the residents.

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the National Logistics Cell (NLC), the agency executing the construction and widening of IJP Road, expects to complete the project by March 23.

However, visit to the various sections of the project, especially areas, where work has commenced in the second phase, belied the claims as a lot of work is still needed to be done, which is likely to result in further delays in the completion of the project.

An engineer working on the site, on the condition of anonymity, said that a couple months’ delay for such a massive project would be okay, as the pace of work on the project is satisfactory.

Mohammad Tufail, a resident of I-9, told BOL News that the residents have been facing immense problems due to the complete closure of the road.

The NLC should have kept half of the road open for traffic but it completely closed down the road at places, making it impossible for the dwellers to cross the road and enter Rawalpindi even on a motorbike, he added. The residents of I-9, I-10 and I-11 sectors and those living on Khayaban-e-Sir Syed, Bangash Colony, Pirwadhi, Chur Chowk, British Homes, Dokh Hassu and other localities are also suffering, owing to the construction work.

Additionally, the residents are facing clouds of dust in these areas, as the contractors are not taking measures to settle down the dust during the construction work. As a result, the people living in nearby localities have developed serious respiratory and eye ailments due to the constant and excessive dust in the area, Tufail remarked.

An official of the CDA, associated with the supervision of the Rs4.9 billion project, was of the view that the pace of the work on the project was excellent. He was optimistic regarding the completion of the project by the cutoff date of March 23. As the project is nearing completion, the CDA has also started work on the development of the green belt along the IJP Road, for which an additional amount of Rs21 million has been allocated, the official said.

The landscaping and beautification plan includes planting thousands of trees along the green belt, starting from Pirwadhi Morr to Faizabad area.

The CDA official claimed the layout plan for the road was designed to safeguard green cover and to give an environmentally-friendly look to the road.

Mohammad Suleman, a resident of Khayaban-e-Sir Syed area, who works in a pharmaceutical company in I-9, said that the air pollution in the area has increased manifolds due to the construction work.

The traffic management was also very poor and for several months, the construction of the road was completely closed down, he said, adding that the residents of Rawalpindi, who work in Islamabad or are coming to Rawalpindi, were forced to take a long route to reach their workplaces.

“I am happy that after the completion of the project, the traffic flow on the road will improve and we will be free from the ordeal of long traffic jams due to a massive traffic pressure, as the road is also being used by trucks and trawlers,” he remarked.

The CDA officials said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is taking keen interest in the timely completion of the project. The prime minister has also wished to facilitate the commuters and citizens of the adjacent areas during the construction work, they added.

Besides widening the road to four lanes on either side, the project also included the construction of two flyover bridges; one at Mandi Morr and second at the 9th Avenue crossing at Double Road. The major bridges at Katarian and near Pirwadhi Bus Stand on the road were also part of the project.

The completion of the project will not only ease the traffic flow for heavy traffic coming to the area from Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa but also improve the mobility of the people living along the IJP road both on Rawalpindi and Islamabad sides, the officials said.

The improvement in the IJP Road is also likely to ease the traffic pressure on the city’s roads as Murree Road or Srinagar Highway have been used excessively for shuttling between Rawalpindi and Islamabad, due to traffic congestion on the IJP Road.

With the completion of the project, the citizens of both cities will have the facility to use the road, helping to reduce pressure on other main roads, especially Murree Road, the main artery between the twin cities.