Islamabad: The chief of Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) has completely failed to complete its first project of rehabilitating the dilapidated IJP Road within promised time of four months. At present the road is in shambles, potholes are sprouting like dandelions on the asphalt surface. The re-carpeting of the road was inaugurated amidst much funfair on July 25, 2016, but still, no progress is to be seen.
“Firstly, the delay was due to funds and then a technical glitch came up during the rehabilitation. We have awarded the contract for TST (Triple Surface Treatment) which cannot be done in extreme weather conditions. Now, the rehabilitation work has been started with full force and will be completed in six weeks,” said Mayor Sheikh Anser Aziz.
“The contractor started work on IJP Road in July, but there was a stoppage of funds to the contractor when Islamabad High Court (IHC) had frozen accounts of the Capital Development Authority (CDA), which had halted construction work,” said Planning member of CDA.
“Rs 1 billion budget was allocated solely for restoration of the roads of Islamabad. Many roads of Islamabad have been re-carpeted, many others have been overhauled and the patches and potholes were filled with bitumen.
The affluent sectors were given preference over the middle-class sector: the carpeting was started and finished firstly in Red Zone, F-sectors, then G-sectors and the work to rehabilitate the roads of I-sectors was being ignored,” said official of the MCI on anonymity.
A motorist, Ahmed Nadeem said, “The MCI contractor not only left the project incomplete but the ditches have also appeared on the executed part of the road within few weeks’ time. The craters, potholes and generally dilapidated condition of the road were the major cause of accidents.”
A CDA official, who requested anonymity, said that the affected portion was excavated and a new layer was laid there but the carpeting was yet to be done due to which ditches had emerged on the road surface.
He said that under this project the IJ Principal Road from Pindora Chungi to GT Road will be re-carpeted, lane marking will be carried out and missing facilities will be provided.
It is noted that the PC-1 of the project was prepared by the CDA, but then the MCI took over the plan with Mayor Sheikh Anser Aziz inaugurating the development activity.
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) had awarded the contract for rehabilitation and up-gradation of IJ Principal Road at a cost of Rs 168 million, which was 28pc below the floor price amounting to Rs 228.00 million earlier approved in the PC-1 of the project.
The spokesman of the CDA, Mazhar Hussain said that the construction work is continued and will be completed soon.