ISLAMABAD: Burma Bridge on Lehtrar Road was opened to the public on Sunday.

The bridge was inaugurated by PTI MNA from NA-52 Raja Khurram Nawaz.

The PTI also held a public meeting there, which was addressed by Mr Nawaz and other local leaders.

Mr Nawaz told Dawn that the bridge would ensure traffic flows smoothly on Lehtrar Road, which he said is an important road that leads to Kahuta and Kashmir but had been neglected.

He said local residents had been trying to get the bridge built for the last 15 years.

He said he became involved in the effort after being elected, and last year the Capital Development Authority (CDA) began the Rs200 million project.

In the absence of a viable bridge, local residents and commuters faced difficulty due to routine traffic jams on the road.

In order to prevent the old bridge from collapsing, the authorities had closed it off and diverted traffic to the other lane - which led to traffic congestion at various points on the road.

Also on Sunday, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on CDA Affairs Ali Nawaz Awan laid the foundation stone for a service road in Margalla Town.

He said that many development projects have been completed and are going to be started in Islamabad.

In a week, work will begin on the Islamabad Expressway, while the G-7 and G-8 underpass is nearly complete and will be opened to the public in the next few days.

Mr Awan said that a 50pc jobs quota has been approved for Islamabad residents in the capital’s departments, adding: “Earlier, there was a jobs quota for the provinces, but nothing for Islamabad domicile holders. Now, the cabinet has approved a 50pc jobs quota for residents of Islamabad in government departments that are serving Islamabad, such as the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Polyclinic, the Federal Directorate of Education etc.”

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2020