LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi emphasized that the Walton Road upgrade and re-modelling initiative constitutes a significant project, involving work at six locations with a budget exceeding Rs9 billion.
Speaking to the media after inspecting the progress on Walton Road, ADA drain re-modelling, Cavalry Underpass, and the Centerpoint to Walton Road CBD Punjab Quaid District projects on Wednesday, he highlighted the magnitude of the undertaking.
Present at the event were Punjab Information Minister Amir Mir, Commissioner Lahore Muhammad Ali Randhawa, CCPO Bilal Saddique Kamyana, Deputy Commissioner Lahore Rafia Haider, and other officials.
The CM further told media that a flyover will also be built at Cheil Chowk which will facilitate the smooth flow of traffic. “The road project from Centerpoint to Walton Road has been given a deadline of December 31 to complete. With the completion of this project, the journey from Main Boulevard Gulberg to Walton will be reduced to only three minutes,” he added.
According to him, the Cavalry underpass will be completed in the next four days while the Ghora Chowk flyover is expected to be completed on December 7. Meanwhile, the work on the Lahore Ring Road’s southern loop-3 and Bund Road (controlled access) projects was going on day and night, with a deadline of January.
Similarly, the Gujranwala Expressway will also be completed in January while the work on Gujranwala University has started and the capacity of Gujranwala Children Hospital, started with a capacity of 100 beds, will be increased to 200 beds in January. Moreover, the burn unit in Gujranwala Medical College Hospital will be completed in January.
He further said that the vegetable market, Gujranwala Colony and graveyard problem have been resolved in Gujranwala, adding that 6000 students are studying in DPS Gujranwala, and arrangements are being made for the education of 1,000 more children. He averred that the government’s job was to arrest the accused and present their challans while the verdicts rested with the courts.
Meanwhile, during his visit to the work site of a Centerpoint to Walton Road project, he gave a deadline for the completion of the asphalt work from the Centerpoint to Walton in the first 10 days of December. He also expressed his satisfaction with the drainage of sewage water on Walton Road.
While directing the officials to adopt measures for the smooth flow of traffic during the development work, he said these projects should be completed without any delay. He also inspected the construction work of the Cavalry Underpass and ordered to complete the asphalt work on side roads at the earliest.
He further directed the contractor to speed up the work to complete it within four days. He also inspected the Lahore Central Business District Development Authority and directed them to plant more trees around the project.
He reviewed the construction work of the road connecting CBD Punjab Boulevard and Walton Road and directed the officials to complete the Walton overhead bridge on a fast-track basis.
Meanwhile, Naqvi paid a surprise visit to the Police Service Centre in Liberty and took feedback from the citizens, with some expressing grievances about prolonged processing delays, and enduring waits of up to four hours.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023