Recent additions in the structure and a significant increase in the cost of the much-touted Signal-Free Corridor from Qartaba Chowk to Kalma Chowk via Main Boulevard, Gulberg, have raised many an eyebrow about the planning and execution of the mega public project.

The civil society members have already opposed the project, terming it as redundant and a faulty utilisation of huge public funds without initiating a prior debate and discussion. They blame the provincial government for ‘misspending’ the money on such projects that actually award lucrative contracts to private companies under cover of improving the public transport system for the city with an estimated population of more than 10 million.

Early this year, the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) awarded a contract for the development project at an estimated cost of Rs1.3 billion. This month, as work on the project continued at different points of the city, the authorities made a major change that raised the cost.

A senior official at the LDA tells TNS, requesting anonymity, that the revised plan includes building a flyover on the Main Boulevard Gulberg-Jail Road junction to the Sherpao Bridge. "This is to further ease the traffic," he declares.

The additional cost is around Rs30.5 million for the flyover which shall be 5.1 metres high, 400 metres long and eight metres wide.

"It has been green-lighted by the Environment Impact Assessment teams," the official adds. "Previously, this side of the traffic was supposed to take a U-turn on Zafar Ali Road.

"This should not be seen as a failure or a matter of ill-planning," he adds. "Sometimes you need to make changes as you are executing the plan." The flyover is supposed to ease the traffic on the U-turn at Zafar Ali Road.

"The total cost of the project would now go up to Rs1.7 billion," TEPA Chief Engineer Israr Saeed says.

According to Saeed, the cantonment authorities have also approved two new underpasses including one at Shami Road which would provide "a better link to the smooth flow of traffic."

On the other end of the spectrum, many residents of the areas believe the project shall destroy the landscape of the city and badly affect the environment. Already, a large number of old trees on Jail Road and Main Boulevard, Gulberg, have been felled to make U-turns.

"We are losing greenery," says Imtiaz Hameed, a local. "It would take ages to replace the trees."

"Are we a people-friendly and environmentally aware nation at all?" Shabir Hussain, another local, wonders. "I am amazed at the kind of planning the government has made, in order to help the public transport system."

The locals have repeatedly appealed to the authorities to reform the existing public transport system rather than adding to the structures of concrete. Work on the project was stopped in March this year, after the Lahore High Court (LHC) granted a stay order. The Punjab government got relief from the Supreme Court of Pakistan against the LHC order. Government counsel Khawaja Haris Ahmed claimed before the court that the designed Signal-free Corridor from Qartaba Chowk to Liberty Chowk would ease the traffic flow at the junctions. He termed the project a "public welfare" project. The court observed that more than Rs1.3 billion had been reserved for the project and wanted to know how it would benefit the public and whether it was required at all. The counsel told the court that the Environment Protection Agency had given a green signal to the project.

Following the apex court ruling, the LDA and its subsidiary Traffic Engineering and Transport Planning Agency (TEPA) resumed construction work on the project mid July.

Today, two underpasses, one flyover and seven signal-free U-turns have been earmarked for construction. The first underpass shall be constructed at Shadman Chowk for traffic coming down from China Chowk and going up to Shadman Market.

The second underpass is due near Sherpao Bridge for traffic going towards the Canal Bridge. Yet another flyover is to be built on Main Boulevard.

Additionally, seven signal-free U-turns shall be constructed at the Eden Center Chowk, Shadman Chowk, Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) Chowk, Canal Road, Zafar Ali Road, Fawara Chowk, Main Market Chowk and Zahoor Elahi Chowk crossings. Work on these U-turns is fast underway.

The signal-free corridor project was assigned to Habib Construction Services after the bidding process. It was scheduled to complete in four months’ time but faced delay because of the stay order. The official deadline for the completion of the project is October 30, 2015.