LAHORE City District Governments Works and Communication Department, Wasa and Lesco are holding each other responsible for delay in construction of Allama Iqbal Road, TheNation has learnt on Monday. The slow-paced construction work on the said road is not only causing frequent traffic jams but also becomes a permanent source of public nuisance particularly for the business community. Talking to this scribe, EDO Works and Communication Department of CDG Muhammad Akram Zafar held Wasa and Lesco responsible for delay in construction of the road. He said the works department would start construction of the road after receiving green signal from both the departments regarding completion of work. So far as pace of work is concerned, he is not authorised to seek explanation or justification from any other authority for delay in construction work or peruse other departments concerned in this regard he added. On the other hand, Wasas Deputy Managing Director (Operations), Naved Parvez claimed that Wasa already accomplished work and laid sewerage and water supply pipelines while work on roadside drains was underway and Wasa authorities also informed Works Department in this regard. Giving reasons for delay, he said government awarded such project to Wasa during monsoon and factually the target was being achieved by the officials within given time frame if the days of rainy season were excluded. He said Wasa laid about 8,200 feet pipelines on such a busy road from Railway Station to Jamia Naeemia, Chowk Garhi Shahu and from Chowk Crown Cinema to Mayo Garden which no doubt was a hard task for the authorities. The main reason behind the delay in construction of road is shifting of electricity poles from the roadside for widening road, which yet to be completed by Lesco authorities; he said adding that only 15 electric poles out of a total 64 could be shifted by the Lesco officials so far. He said authorities of Works Department must force the Lesco authorities to complete process poles shifting as soon as possible in order to achieve the target of completion of project within the given time frame. He blamed that the Works Department also seemed lethargic in this regard and perhaps was using delaying tactics for starting construction work on the road otherwise it was authorized to force the other departments for completing assigned tasks. It is pertinent to mention here that the project worth Rs 550 million was being executed by City District Government with the financial support of provincial government in June 2011 while the government also announced that the project would be completed in January 2012.