Spending money where it was least required!

I can’t recall as to who the poet was, but I have heard this verse from a few who have spent a part of their lives in Delhi.

“Baikar mabash kuch to kiya kar – Warna pajama udhair kar siya kar”

Well, apparently our main civic body of Islamabad, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) seems to be doing exactly the same.

When this project of ‘5-lane Signal-Free Corridor’ was launched by the CDA, people living beyond the Airport Chowk were jubilant.

Especially those who are living in Bahria Town, Pak-PWD, the Naval Anchorage, the DHA, Humak and other adjacent housing societies on both sides of the Islamabad Expressway.

Everybody was expecting that the CDA would start the project from Rawat to Airport Chowk.

But, to much shock and surprise of people, the CDA decided to launch the first phase of expansion from Zero Point to Faizabad. A portion of the project, which was perfect in all aspects. The existing three-lane plus ample shoulder road on both sides on this section was catering to the daily traffic load comfortably.

But those entrusted with the task of launching this project seemed too eager to start with the soft side as it required hardly any great effort. They achieved the target comfortably but during the course of completion of this they made the lives of the commuters a hell.

And when the commuters heaved a sigh of relief as this section was re-opened, all of a sudden the CDA has launched this dismantling of the existing road and expansion over a length of hardly 300 metres under the Faizabad Flyover.

I wish the CDA bosses may try to pass just once through this part between 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. or between 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. in a normal car.

I wonder why the CDA didn’t decide to tackle the trickiest part of the project first? The flyover or interchange at the Airport Chowk or the part of the project from Rawat to Airport Chowk which actually needs most urgent expansion and the road on this section is in a pathetic condition already.

Instead of diverting the men and machinery to these most important parts of the ‘5-lane Signal-Free Corridor’, the CDA decided to utilise the money, machines and manpower for digging up perfectly fine roads and streets in different sectors of the federal capital.

Again, they completely over-looked the parts of the city, like the sectors I-9, I-10, I-11 where this kind of repair and re-surfacing was most needed.

If the federal government has released special funds for re-carpeting or re-surfacing of the roads in the urban areas, then the selection of roads and avenues clearly reflects bias of the administrators towards the 'I' sectors.

Because what they are doing is just ‘Pajama udhair kar dobara see rahay hain’