Rawalpindi’s half-baked roads

The roads in the Rawalpindi city are almost in a bad shape. Conditions of some roads have become so pitiable that vehicles ply these roads with high risks of accidents. Big potholes cracks and breaches have developed on various points of these roads making them almost death traps. Due to hazardous conditions of the roads vehicles cannot ply with the usual speed. The conditions of the same turn the worst during the rainy season.

“We have to pay taxes in many ways and stages but in return we are not getting guarantee of safe and smooth movement on the roads is quite disappointing,” says Sibtain Haider.

“Due to low quality construction works and absence of renovation the roads remain unfit for movement of vehicles. There is no end to the sufferings of commuters on various roads in the city areas such as Bakra Mandi, Harley Street, Peoples Colony, Dhoke Syedan, Tahli Mohri and Kiani Road,” says Ali Raza.

“We know the government gets a substantial amount of money every year as revenue from the roads sector. Had the money been spent for renovation of roads, their condition would not have been so pitiable. But what is being done in the name of reconstruction or renovation is sheer cheating. Use of bricks and bitumen instead of concrete is responsible for the deplorable conditions of the roads. This kind of renovation does not last long and the same revert to the previous condition,” says Abid Hussain. “A section of people connected with the job is benefited while the taxpayers have to bear the brunt of such malpractice. The relevant authorities should implement the law immediately for smooth and safe movement on the roads,” says Sarmad Ali.

“Money is sanctioned to make a top-grade road, but the money is not properly spent: it goes to the pockets of people involved in road reconstruction or renovation. That is why it would not be inappropriate to say that it is because of the corruption of the relevant people, the city fails to have well-paved road,” says Musa Kazmi.

“Even the poorly constructed roads here are not given enough regular maintenance and care. Once a road is constructed, it is left there to the final stage of degradation.

Everyday people suffer for bad roads, but sufferings get attention when the monsoon or Eid festival arrives. During these periods we notice some cosmetic operations,” says Meesaq Rizvi.

Feroze Hasan says: “The broader picture of roads in the city is even worse. The streets are in poor condition in most localities. A mild shower rainfall exposes how badly the city’s roads and streets are engineered as water logging makes movement of vehicles as well as pedestrians extremely difficult.”