CHAKWAL: Due to non-release of compensation, landowners in Thaneel Fatohi village have thwarted construction work on the northern bypass which has already been made controversial due to anomalies in the land acquisition and a change to its original route.

In the meantime, the cost of the project has risen from Rs1 billion to Rs4bn.

“We have been assured time and again by the district administration that compensation for land would be released soon. On these repeated promises we cooperated with the authorities and surrendered our fertile land for the construction of the bypass. But now even after five years not a single farmer has been given compensation,” said Chaudhry Nasir Iqbal, a representative of farmers. He said many farmers lost their standing crops.

The bypass project was approved by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif while launching the Mandra-Chakwal Road and Chakwal-Sohawa Road in July 2014 on the request of former PML-N MNA Iffat Liaquat.

Say even after five years not a single farmer has been paid compensation for their fertile land

The 14-km-long bypass was to save Chakwal city from the influx of heavy traffic which was likely to choke city after Mandra-Chakwal Road gets dual carriage way.

But the work on the bypass could not be started as the district administration made blunders in the land acquisition. “Many khasra numbers (patches of land) which should have been included in the route were excluded and those which were not required were included,” an official of the district admin said while putting the blame on Patwaris.

After The PTI came into power, its Chakwal MNA Sardar Zulifqar Ali Dullah sought a bizarre change in the original route of the bypass. Although he managed to convince the officials of Public Works Department (PWD0 and National Engineering Services of Pakistan (Nespak) for the new route but he still has to get approval of the revised PC 1 as its cost has shot to Rs4b.

“The cost has been increased because the length of initial route was 14km and it was supposed to pass through the plain area and mostly from a rough road. But now MNA Dullah has managed to get its route changed. Now the length has been increased to 23km from 14km and now it would be passing through from private land which is also based on uneven areas from many spots,” an official said.

Although the approval of revised PC 1 is yet awaited from Planning Commission, the authorities have started construction work from the fund released for the original route four months ago and now Nespak is doing a survey for the altered route despite the fact that the project is yet to be approved by the federal government.

“We got approved this bypass so that trailers loaded with cement coming from Salt Range and other heavy vehicles coming from Sargodha area could not enter Chakwal city as the bypass was supposed to be linked to Chakwal-Talagang Road near the district complex. But as per the change in its route, the heavy traffic would keep on choking the city,” said PML-N former MPA Chaudhry Sultan Haider Ali whose mother Iffat Liaquat got the project approved.

PML-N former MNA Tahir Iqbal also declared the new route as useless and a huge burden on national exchequer.

“I fail to understand how they could start construction work and carry out a survey for the new route when the revised PC 1 is yet to be approved,” he said.

When contacted, MNA Zulifqar Ali Dullah said he would get the bypass constructed on the new route at any case, terming the new route more beneficial for the area. “The revised PC 1 would be approved soon,” he said.

Assistant Commissioner Chakwal Muzaffar Mukhtar said land acquisition was done prior to his posting to Chakwal. “I am trying my best to fix the issue as soon as possible,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2019