MURREE, Nov 13: Despite billions of rupees spent on the construction and reconstruction of a number of roads in Murree Town in recent years, the roads are no better than before.

Hefty funds were allocated three times within the past decade for road development in Murree – twice within one-and-a-half years during the previous PML-Q government and then again when the current PML-N government took over – but the road network in Punjab's major tourist resort is worse off than ever before.

An amount of Rs1,444.515 million was allocated by the PML-N government, which gave the contract of road construction in Murree to the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO).

This included Rs487.32 million for the Murree-Kohala Bridal Road, Rs180.53 million for the road from Bansra Gali to Jika Gali, Rs66.08 million for a two-and-a-half km stretch of road from Jika Gali to Lower Topa, and Rs511.275 million for the road from Satra Meel to Bansra Gali.

But the slow pace of work and missed completion targets, coupled with the closure of sections of roads for long periods, e.g., the portion between Kuldanna and Sunny Bank, have been a nuisance for visitors and a business-dampener for the town's traders and hoteliers.

The latter group suffered considerable financial loss last summer because of road closures brought on by the construction work.

A steering committee to supervise the ongoing development projects in Murree was constituted by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. This committee, chaired by the local member of the National Assembly, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, comprises the local member of the Punjab Assembly, Raja Fayyaz Sarwar, and the heads of various public departments.

But despite various meetings of the committee, there has been no visible change in the road situation in Murree.

During the previous PML-Q government, the first round of road construction was so badly done that more funds had to be allocated one-and-a-half years later for reconstruction.

An example was the new Rawalpindi-Murree-Kashmir Highway which was severely damaged even before its completion. But the quality of its reconstruction was no better.

A number of water-drainage culverts along the Highway, dating back to the British era, were reconstructed. But the removal of the heavy stones which the British had used to build the culverts proved to be a big mistake: the reconstructed culverts could not withstand even the first heavy rainfall, as a result of which six culverts were completely damaged.

Damage to the road was also caused by heavy landslides brought on by excavation at a site in Jika Gali for the construction of a multi-storey parking plaza. Construction work at the plaza has since stopped but the road remains non-repaired.

When the current government came into power, it ordered an inquiry into the people responsible for the embezzlement of millions of rupees of the public exchequer. Cases are pending in the anti-corruption courts.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Highway Department says that FWO, which has been given the construction contract, will complete the road works as per contract. According to Sub-Divisional Officer Chaudhry Ghulam Rasool FWO will be responsible for quality assurance and the completion of roads in time.

The issue of delayed work, he adds, has been raised several times in the meetings of the steering committee.

Col Nadeem of the FWO says that the structure of the highway has not been damaged, rather the land under the structures of the culverts gave way in the landslides and his department has nothing to do with landslides. It is the responsibility of the Punjab Highway Department and they are working on it, he says.

If the road is damaged due to some faulty work on the part of his department, he adds, FWO will do it again as it is bound according to the agreement to repair the constructed roads for two years after completion.

About the damaged road between Kuldanna and Sunny Bank, Col Nadeem says Sui-Northern Gas Pipelines dug the road four feet deep for laying its pipelines but water seepage into the re-filled ditches had badly damaged the road. Final repair work on the road will be completed soon, he claims.