Plebian roads

Multan Road serves as the major entrance and exit points to Lahore. But a stretch of about six kilometres from Thokar Niaz Baig to Chung on this road is a nightmare to negotiate. On this piece of road are located many government offices. Facing Multan, the road to the left of the median has two lanes on which jumbo buses and trailers drive through. Buses go back and forth to the bus stand and trailers to the NLC dry port, taking difficult U-turns. To alleviate the miseries of the people using this road, all it needs is to add another lane on both sides of the road from the Motorway overhead bridge to Chung.

Driving through Raiwind Road is a totally different experience. You have to see it to believe it. All encroachments along the road have been removed. Many shops have been demolished, compensations paid, bridges reconstructed and widened, and dual-way roads expanded on both sides. A huge ornamental roundabout has been built from where the road leads to the Sharifs’ palace, not to mention the extension of the motorway overhead bridge on Multan Road to another such bridge on the canal bank, costing Rs3.39 billion to facilitate a free run to Raiwind. Compare the ways of our democratic rulers with the miseries of the plebeians who elect them.

Iftekhar A Khan

Lahore