Official claims work on Karakoram Highway section expedited

ABBOTTABAD: After continuous hue and cry by people from all walks of life over slow pace of work on a few kilometers piece of Karakoram Highway, National Highways Authority (NHA) has finally increased manpower and machinery to complete total project worth Rs240 million by the end of February 2021.

“The project, which includes drainage, carpeting, concrete shoulders and asphaltic road of each side, has been constructed on fast track basis and the target time has been reduced from six months to three month by increasing machinery as well as labour” claimed Deputy Director NHA Masood Khan while talking with The News here on Thursday.

Abbottabad, despite being a major city located at a critical juncture of the Karakoram Highway and a key conduit for tourists and traders, the main roads passing through the city have been in dilapidated condition since long. The residents said that driving on the road becomes particularly perilous during rains when the holes in the road disappear under standing water and damage vehicles and possibly hurt passengers.

Masood Khan said that three package roads on KKH in Abbottabad include 1800 meters FF Chowk to Narian, 1900 meters from Narian up to Jab Bridge and 2900 meters from Jab Bridge to Mirpur Police Station, with the total cost of Rs240 million.

He added that 30 % work on the north side had been completed in the last one month and the remaining project including the south side would be completed in the next two months. The project was constructed by UGALCO construction company, which was asked to increase the machinery and labour to speed up the construction work so that target time is reduced.

He said the project would be completed by the end of February 2021. Replying to a query, he said that besides carpeting, the project includes drainage, two meters concrete shoulders and 10 meters asphalt road on each side. Masood Khan ruled out the chances of substandard construction and said that the final and wearing course would be made at the concluding stage. He said the NHA does not compromise on quality and beside its own quality laboratory, a quality check has also been made from UET Taxila, XEN Communication & Works and COMSATS laboratories.

Due to construction of the road, locals and other commuters were facing acute problems and pollution levels had also crossed the dangerous level. Experts said that as per count, it is at the highest level of PM (particulate matter) 3.4 G per cubic meter that has crossed an alarming level in the cities like Abbottabad, which was a lush green city with clean air. The slow work also caused traffic jams all the time, especially in peak hours.