RAWALPINDI: With the onset of the monsoon season, residents of the garrison city are confronting severe travel disruptions on roads left excavated and incomplete. The torn-up thoroughfares have also triggered chronic traffic congestion across key urban corridors.
Numerous arteries in the city centre were excavated by the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) to install sewerage and water supply lines. However, the work remains unfinished despite a June 30 completion deadline mandated by the Punjab government.
Construction of the sewerage nullah in Ganjmandi, intended to connect with Leh Nullah, is still pending. Similarly, water supply line installation along Saidpur Road and surrounding neighbourhoods continues to impede commuters.
Ahead of the rainy season, the provincial government had ordered all construction and excavation activities in urban areas to conclude by June 30, imposing a ban on road digging until September 15. WASA failed to meet this directive.
WASA blames lockdown and holidays for delays as residents demand faster completion of project
Under a Rs5 billion development programme, the project was divided into three packages. Package 1, valued at Rs1.3 billion, covers sewerage lines in Dhoke Hassu, Dhoke Ratta, Pirwadhai, Mohanpura, Khayaban-i-Sir Syed, and Dhoke Najju. The total sewer length is 150,439 feet, of which only 7,704 feet of critical piping has been laid to date.
Package 2, worth Rs1.18 billion, spans New Katarian, F. Block, Saidpur Scheme, Eidgah, Dhoke Babu Irfan, Pindora, Malpur, Satellite Town, Asghar Mall, and B & D Blocks of Satellite Town. Of the 136,331 feet planned, 8,500 feet of pipe have been installed.
Package 3, allocated Rs1.267 billion, targets Hamilton Road, Dingi Khoi, Jamia Masjid Road, and Qadeemi Imambargah. The 6,000-foot sewer line has seen only 900 feet completed.
WASA Managing Director Azizullah Khan informed Dawn that the first phase across all three packages is nearing conclusion and expects to close it within one to two weeks. He stated the second phase will commence by September 15, with the entire project slated for completion before next summer.
Khan added that he has instructed contractors to expand their workforce to accelerate delivery. Regarding the delays, he cited a work stoppage during the April lockdown, two Eid holidays, and Muharram, amounting to over 28 lost days.
Residents and motorists expressed frustration at the sluggish pace, noting the acute hardship faced by schoolchildren, patients, and visitors to commercial hubs such as Raja Bazaar. They urged the civic authority to adopt a segmented approach—excavating, piping, and backfilling 10 to 15-foot stretches sequentially—rather than leaving entire roads open.
Mohammad Raffique, a motorist, described daily traffic gridlock in the area, with commuters enduring hazardous conditions for the past two to three months. Nasir Mehmood, a Saidpur Road resident, warned that the open trenches endanger both motorcyclists and car drivers, suggesting double-shift operations to expedite progress.
Iqbal Hussain, from Akaal Garh, remarked that despite work beginning in March, a single kilometre of road remains incomplete, causing prolonged distress for locals.
