PESHAWAR: The district administration has ordered the contractor speedy construction of the remaining two sections of the Rs22 billion Peshawar Northern Bypass after resolving the longstanding land acquisition issues.

Work on the 32km road, which connects M-I Motorway near Chamkani with Takhta Baig checkpost of Jamrud tehsil in Khyber tribal district, began in 2009 with three years deadline, but it got stuck in the slow lane due to the issues related to acquisition, compensation, and encroachments.

Over seven kilometers long Section I was opened to traffic in 2015, while work on the two other sections got delayed.

Assistant commissioner of Peshawar Dr Ehteshamul Haq, who is also land collector for the project, told Dawn that land acquisition for the project had been completed and the land had been handed over to the project contractor, National Highway Authority (NHA).

District admin says land acquisition issues resolved

He said the long delay in work was reported on the project’s Package II and III-A from Charsadda Road to Warsak Road and from Warsak Road to Nasir Bagh, respectively.

Dr Haq said there were land acquisition issues in eight mouzas of Package II and III-A, including Charpariza, Khapa, Daag, Kaniza, Patwar Payan, Regi Bedizai, Shahi Bala and Regi Lalma, but the administration had resolved them through dialogue with the residents.

He said there was no land award in five mouzas.

The official said the issue of a single house standing in the middle of the road had been unresolved since 2013 but it had been sorted out, while a compensation issue in Kaniza mouza causing the delay in project had also been resolved.

He said the residents of Regi Badizai had blocked work on the project due to a land dispute but it had been resolved, while there was no award due to land dispute in Shahi Bala and Regli Lalma areas. Also, there were no award of landin Khappa Daag, Patwar Payan and Regli Lalma areas.

He said all those issues had been resolved and the land they had been handed over to the contractor for starting work on the road.

Dr Haq said in Patwar Payan area, land compensation by the previous collectors was put at Rs240 million but the valuation by the district administration collector settled the land cost at Rs80 million saving the government an amount of Rs160 million.

He said the land issues regarding Package III-B, which ran from Nasir Bagh to Takhta Baig area of Jamrud tehsil, had been resolved, but there was some contractor-related issue on part of the NHA.

Meanwhile, a statement issued by the deputy commissioner’s office said that after resolving all the issues of Northern Bypass lands from Charsadda Road to Nasir Bagh Road, the land was handed over to the contractor, who was directed to expedite work for early completion of the project.

The length of Section II of the project, which runs from Charsadda Road to Warsak Road, is 12km and that of Section III, which was divided into Section III-A and B and runs from Warsak Road to Takhta Baig checkpost, 13km.

The project was initially estimated to cost over Rs9 billion but the PC-I was revised due to the issues taking the cost to Rs22 billion.

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2021