GUJAR KHAN: The Punjab government has released Rs10 billion for the completion of the 128-km-long Lillah-Jhelum dual carriageway.

This was announced by the convener of the Parliamentary Task Force on SDGs and Member of the National Assembly (MNA) from Jhelum, Mr. Bilal Azhar Kiyani on Sunday.

While addressing a press conference in Jhelum on Sunday, Mr Kiyani said that the 128-km-long road was unfortunately completely dismantled in a single go during the PTI government due to negligence and in lust of votes without providing sufficient funding for its execution.

He said the people living along the road were inconvenienced on a daily basis, and the PML-N-led Punjab government finally decided to construct the dual carriageway on priority.

“The project was facing funding issues from the federal government, and now the Punjab government has taken ownership, and funds amounting to Rs10 billion required for its completion have been released for resuming the construction,” the MNA said.

He lambasted the PTI regime for playing politics on the issue, adding that highway manuals were also violated by not constructing the road patches according to the available funding.

While talking to Dawn, Mr Bilal Kiyani maintained that the construction of the project would begin again in a few weeks, adding that the revised cost of the project, including the inflation cost, was around Rs16 billion.

The MNA further said the contract for the project was secured by the Frontier Works Organization (FWO), hoping that the dual carriageway would be ready by the end of December 2025.

He said the road would connect Jhelum city from G.T. Road to Lillah Motorway Interchange (M2).

Mr Kiyani said that the government was also in talks with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) for the rehabilitation of the Grand Trunk Road, adding that Sialkot-Kharian Motorway (M-12) and Kharian-Rawalpindi Motorway (M-13) projects would also be completed under the PML-N government.

While commenting about the talks between the government and the PTI, MNA Bilal said that his party was ready to talk with the opposition on national issues, “but no compromise could be made on criminal cases such as the May 9 mayhem and the £190 million corruption case”.

He asserted that the delay in prosecuting the May 9 culprits was also a criminal neglegence. He said that a committee to represent the government had been constituted, which included Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Rana Sanaullah, Irfan Siddique, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Khalid Maqbool Siddique, and other senior leaders of the ruling alliance.

Talking about the economic condition of the country under the PML-N government, he said that inflation had declined to a six-year-low level of 4.9pc while the policy rate had also plunged to 13 pc from 22 pc, creating business opportunities for people.

Published in Dawn, December 23rd, 2024