LAHORE – Defence Housing Society residents are groaning and moaning about the wisdom of erecting traffic signals at Faisal Chowk, X Block, which is serving as a deathtrap for drivers, Pakistan Today has learnt. A drunk driver ran over two men at Faisal Chowk, more commonly known as Ghora Chow, a few days ago. Both died on their way to hospital. This junction falls in Khayabaan-e-Iqbal, one of the main gateways to DHA. This junction used to be a roundabout until the authorities decided to bulldoze it and replace it with a perplexing junction. “There was no need for the authorities to dismantle the old roundabout and erect traffic signals there,” Akbar Mehdi Shah, an X Block resident told Pakistan Today.
Another DHA resident, Hassan Malik, said all new traffic signals in DHA were compounding traffic problems. He said there were serious technical flaws in the X-Block traffic square, the reason why there has been a rash of traffic accidents in DHA recently. Mustafa Malik, who has been living in X Block fore the last 15 years, said that he had never seen a traffic jam at Ghora Chowk before. “The traffic flow at Ghora Chowk was flawless and there was no need for any signals there”, he added.
“The new junction is so confusing that accidents are happening there almost on a daily basis.” Husain Gabriel a DHA residen, said that he was at his wits’ ends wondering why the authorities built a traffic signal at Ghora Chowk. “This project is just a waste of money, can be merely described as stupidity and nothing more,” he added. “We see an accident here almost every day”, said Asim, a man working at the petrol station opposite the Faisal Chowk junction. DHA spokesperson Tajjam-ul-Hassan passed on the buck to TEPA. Talking to Pakistan Today, he said that X Block traffic signals were erected to ease the traffic flow there. “If there is any problem with the signals, it’s because of TEPA, they have designed it”, said Tajjamul.
DHA has been going through traffic reforms since the present democratic setup took over the reins of government. It might be of interest to mention here that Prime Minster Yousaf Raza Gilani and several other government figures have their residences in DHA.
