CHAKWAL: Uncertainty has gripped the Rs1 billion Northern Bypass Road Project in Chakwal as a Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) MNA is trying to get the original route changed.

“If the original route is changed, not only the cost of the project would double, but it would also be difficult to get the revised project approved from the Planning Commission due to the current financial crunch,” said an official privy to the development.

“The Rs773 million allocated by the federal government a few months ago for this project still remains intact with the Public Works Department (PWD) but if the original route of the bypass is altered this amount would also lapse,” added the official.

Construction of the 14km bypass was announced on July 16, 2014, by then prime minister Nawaz Sharif

The construction of the 14km bypass was announced on July 16, 2014, by then prime minister Nawaz Sharif after he re-launched the project of making Mandra-Chakwal and Chakwal-Sohawa roads dual carriageways. Both the roads were to be made dual carriageways at a cost of Rs14bn by July 2015.

But work on Chakwal-Sohawa Road is still far from completion and construction of a bridge near Jatli on Mandra-Chakwal Road is also incomplete.

Mr Sharif was told by former MNA Iffat Liaquat that Chakwal city would be choked as both the dual carriageways would be passing through the city. Mr Sharif then ordered construction of a bypass for heavy traffic.

Starting from Behkri village at Mandra-Chakwal Road the bypass was to end at Talagang Road near Murid Air Base after passing through Dhab, Thaneel Fatohi, Dhakku and Odherwal Chakora villages and would be completed by 2016 at a cost of Rs1 billion. But unavailability of funds and blunders made in the land acquisition process by the district administration delayed the construction.

“PWD had released Rs114m to the district administration of Chakwal in 2015 for land acquisition as according to an initial estimate 616 kanals was required. But when we went to get possession of the land we were shocked to see that land which was not included in the alignment was also put in the route by the patwaris,” said an official of PWD.

The district administration had also paid compensation to those whose land was not falling in the route of the bypass. This blunder by the district administration caused further delay in the construction of the bypass.

Now PTI MNA Zulifqar Ali Dullah is trying to get the original approved route of the bypass changed as he wants to connect the bypass to Islamabad-Lahore Motorway at Balkassar Interchange.

In a recent meeting held at the office of the deputy commissioner Chakwal, Mr Dullah told the officials that the bypass should be made dual carriageway and be connected to Thoha Bahadur Bypass near Balkassar Interchange from Neelah Road rather than ending up at Talagang Road near Murid Air Base.

“The very purpose of this bypass was that heavy traffic coming from cement factories and other areas of Salt Range would not enter Chakwal city but if the bypass is linked to the motorway scores of trailers and trucks loaded with cement, coal and limestone would prefer passing through Chakwal city rather than taking a long route from MNA’s proposed bypass as it would add 8km extra distance,” said a senior PWD official.

Former PML-N MPA Chaudhry Sultan Haider Ali expressed the fear that the very purpose of the bypass would be killed if its route was altered.

When contacted, MNA Dullah maintained that the bypass would be more beneficial if it was linked to the Thoha Bahadur Bypass.

When asked about the heavy traffic coming from cement factories, he said: “Arrangement for that heavy traffic is also being made.”

The authorities had also included the land owned by Punjab Higher Education Department (HED) in Dhakku village in the alignment of the bypass but later they realised that a road could not be built at the land allocated for an educational institution.

Recently, the alignment was altered in Dhakku village to save the land of HED but one aspect which is still being overlooked is “Shamlat Mufid-i-Aam (village common land) in Dhakku village which was allocated centuries ago for a pond and a ground. According to the law, the status of such a land cannot be changed.

Published in Dawn, December 26th, 2018