LAHORE - If structures at Samanabad Nullah for Road were really illegal and not being demolished by the Lahore Development Authority for Road Widening Project from LOS to Multan Road, then why did authorities never initiate action against them earlier?
Perhaps, this was possible only with the consent of both, land grabbers and authorities or by under the table money, critics in the departments seeking anonymity raised questions. But LDA finally launched the massive vacating operation.
LDA Chief Engineer Israr Saeed said that the LDA had earlier served notices to illegal occupants adding that besides retrieving government land, orders were given to Land Acquisition Collector of LDA to acquire private land along the drain after payments to the genuine owners in accordance with the law. Giving details, he said that LDA would complete this project with an estimated cost of Rs 1.84 billion to ease traffic flow from the Ferozepur Road towards the Motorway M-2 and Lahore Ring Road via Multan Road-Gulshane Ravi. The contract of road construction had been given through open tender to a private construction company while LDA and National Engineering Services of Pakistan (NESPAK) will supervise the project.
Under the project, the existing more than four kilometers long road alongside the Samanabad Nullah to Gulshane Ravi would be rehabilitated and widened upto 60 feet giving three lanes to each side. The project would be completed within stipulated time frame of six months.
Earlier, the LDA governing body approved the revised project for construction of a three-lane dual carriageway from LOS (Ferozepur Road) to Multan Road worth Rs1.98 billion.
Under the project, the Cantonment Drain, passing through this congested area will be covered and made part of the existing road forming a three-lane dual carriageway. This road will then cater to a traffic load of over 50,000 vehicles per day. The project will enhance the capacity of the existing drain in such a manner that two conduits will be constructed, one for sewerage and the other for storm water.
The scheme had been initially approved worth Rs630.50 million, which included improvement of existing road and construction of missing links between Multan Road and Poonch Road Bridge, Chaudhry Colony and Ferozepur Road. The bridges at the junctions were to be widened along with road safety devices. Keeping in view the traffic pressure, the authority decided to revise this project in the larger public interest.
APP reported on 27th, the Lahore development Authority (LDA) launched an operation against ‘illegal’ properties to clear government land of grabbers along Samanabad Nullah to carry out construction of a dual carriageway from LOS, Ferozepur Road, to the Multan Road.
Hundreds of houses, shops and motor workshops have been constructed along both sides of the drain causing disturbance for traffic, LDA Chief Engineer Israr Saeed told APP. “The LDA had already served notices on the occupants on the land along the Samanabad drain. Heavy machinery and other equipment also has shifted to the site for operation.”
Meanwhile, the LDA DG tasked the Land Acquisition Collector, LDA, with acquiring private land along the drain under the law after payment to genuine owners.
LDA will complete the project at an estimated cost of Rs 1.84 billion to ease the traffic flow from the Ferozepur Road towards Motorway M-2 and Lahore Ring Road via Multan Road-Gulshan-e-Ravi.
The contract of road construction has been given through open tender to a private construction company while LDA and National Engineering Services of Pakistan (NESPAK) will supervise the project.
Under the project, the existing more than four kilometres long road alongside the Samanabad Nullah to Gulshan-e-Ravi would be rehabilitated and widened upto 60 feet consisting of three lanes on each side. The project would be completed within next six months.
In the first phase of the project, LDA has demolished illegal construction from the LOS side of the road along the wall of the Rescue 1122 Academy.