Tussle between the arch rivals Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) is adversely affecting life in the city of Peshawar. The area of Hayatabad which was known to accommodate green belts and provide fresh air to the residents is now home to giant structures mainly because of the construction of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). It is a huge loss for the city, already war torn, that the construction of this line which was supposed to ease the traffic gridlock is now a hassle for the commuters because the federal Pakistan Railways did not grant permission to the provincial government to use the most feasible route.
This is a huge question mark on both the parties, which are so blinded by their agendas that the comfort of the citizens does not matter. If Pakistan Railways did not grant permission to go ahead with the plan, the party should have handed the project to someone competent enough to understand the planning required to make the project a success for years to come. The fact that the British were able to design cities accommodating life and green belts and this is a concept alien to the lawmakers in Pakistan is a huge shame. At this point, the air pollution is so much that is causing respiratory diseases. Land which was allotted for agriculture use is being granted for developmental projects without any regard for the environment. If the provincial government was on a time crunch, halting the project should have been considered. There is no accountability for the losses incurred by the business community and all demands fall on deaf ears.
The ruling party is also to blame here. There is no denying that for the construction of the orange line in Lahore, the party disregarded several legal conjectures and demolished heritage sites in order to build a structure that was indeed needed by the city but could have been done in a manner which did not harm the heritage. The same negligence was also shown when deciding whether or not to grant the land to Peshawar authorities for the BRT. It is a shame that Pakistanis at the end of the day suffer because of these rivalries. PTI was able to effectively carry out the billion tree tsunami project but these hindrances have marred a project which would have actually improved the outlook of Peshawar.