The construction of public infrastructure is done by utilising public funds therefore it is important and would be fair towards taxpayers if the procurement processes are made transparent for the people, particularly with respect to their cost-benefit analysis. But in our society this does not happen. This is because generally such projects are politically driven underpinned by poor designing and superficial cost-benefits analysis. Being a regular user and observer of the traffic flow of Bab-e-Peshawar – the flyover constructed about a year and half ago at the opening of Hayatabad township – I wonder how a proper cost-benefits analysis was performed for the entire construction, as the higher (second-level) bridge gets negligible traffic.
The government should have taken lessons from the flaws in executing this project. Instead, it started planning more flyovers. Despite considerable expansion of roads, traffic congestions and risk of accidents which in most cases lead to verbal or physical scuffles persist. Several schools are also located nearby the same location, and all this causes severe congestion as well as risk of accidents both to the commuters and passers-by, including adult students and children. There is an imminent need for another flyover on the main Jamrud or University road, for entrance and exit into the road to the University of Peshawar campus.
Marghuz Khan (Peshawar)
