Residents of Murree, adjoining areas find flaws with Serena underpass project

ISLAMABAD: One of the ongoing multibillion Serena underpasses project will be of no use unless the Capital Development Authority (CDA) comes up with a solution to link Srinagar Highway with the road coming from Murree.

People of Murree and adjoining areas through their joint forum — Kohsar United Front — have requested Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and CDA Chairman Mohammad Ali Randhawa to look into this issue and provide a link to traffic coming from Murree Road with Srinagar Highway through underpass or flyover.

Currently, work on Serena road project worth Rs4.2 billion, is in progress under which the CDA is supposed to construct three underpasses — two on Srinagar Highway and one on Khyaban-i-Soharwardi with loops.

The underpasses on Srinagar Highway are designed to ensure smooth flow of traffic on this busy road.

During a visit to the site, Dawn noticed that traffic coming from Murree side will not get benefit out of the underpass if the road was not linked with Srinagar Highway.

Traffic from Murree does not have direct access to Srinagar Highway under new project

There is an intersection at the junction of Srinagar Highway and Murree Road, which was closed to traffic coming from Murree side many years ago to avoid accidents.

Under the project, the Srinagar Highway is partially linked with Murree Road and traffic going towards Murree and Kashmir will go smoothly through the underpass. But, traffic coming from Murree will not be able to enter the Srinagar Highway.

Therefore, people of Murree, AJK, Galyat and Kotli Sattian and Bhara Kahu have to cover extra distance and have to take U-turn from Dhokri chowk roundabout. So, when multi billions ongoing Serena project is completed then too, they will not get any benefit out of it, unless an underpass and small flyover is built on Murree Road to provide them easy access to Srinagar Highway.

Social and rights activist Sufyan Abbasi, who being chairman of Kohsar United Front said that without the construction of underpass on Murree Road, the ongoing Serena road project will not be beneficial for millions of people of Murree, AJK, Galyat, Bhara Kahu and other adjoining areas.

Little intervention of interior minister and the CDA chairman could provide big relief to residents of Murree, Bhara Kahu and other areas, he said and added that a delegation of people will hold meeting with the CDA chairman in this regard soon.

“We have to take U turn from Dhokri Chowk also known as Kashmir Chowk, which is a time taking process. Secondly, during peak hours we face traffic congestion as well,” he said and added that often this chowk face closure due to VIP movements.

He said that the underpass on Murree Road should have been part of the Serena project.

When contacted, CDA’s member engineering Syed Nafasat Raza said that this issue is already in CDA’s notice and “we will resolve it,” he said and added that the interior Minister and CDA chairman had already directed the consultant to propose a viable solution, he said.

“In one of the meetings, the minister also highlighted this issue so let me assure you that we will resolve this issue,” he said.

Jinnah Avenue

Member engineering CDA said that the interior minister had also directed the department concerned to resolve the issue of F-10 roundabout. The CDA is also executing multi-billion flyover and underpass project on Jinnah Avenue at F-8.

The member said that on Thursday night, the interior minister and the CDA chief visited the F-10 roundabout to look into this issue. “Consultant has been directed to come up with viable solution,” he said.

Mr Raza said: “We are cognisant of both F-10 and Murree Road issues and we will resolve them,” he said.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2024