Work on Rs 3.5b Lahore Canal Flyover Starts

LAHORE: CHIEF Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said a plan has been made for construction of a flyover over the canal on the Ferozepur Road and its implementation will not only help make the road a signal-free corridor but also streamline traffic coming from all sides of the City.

He said that the Lahore Canal Flyover Project would be completed by March 20, 2012 by working round the clock and it would be formally inaugurated on March 23. He said that the City District Government Lahore was providing funds for the project which was a milestone in its history.

He was addressing the foundation stone laying ceremony of the flyovers project at Canal-Wahdat Road junction on the Ferozepur Road here on Tuesday.

The Chief Minister said the basic purpose of laying a network of roads and bridges in the provincial metropolis was to streamline the traffic flow. He said that the estimated cost of the construction of the canal flyover was Rs 3.5 billion while it would result in a saving of Rs 2.8 billion annually in the travel cost after its completion. He said that a provision had also been made for the Bus Rapid Transport System (BRT) and metro system on the Ferozepur Road.

Shahbaz said that a delegation of the Punjab government was going to Turkey to hold negotiations with the mayor of Istanbul so that the project could be started as early as possible.

He said that like other projects, work would be undertaken on the canal flyover project round-the-clock. He said that just as commissioner, CTO and C&W Department had devised an excellent traffic plan during construction of Kalma Chowk flyovers, the same team should make even better traffic arrangements for the construction of the canal flyover so that the people should not face any inconvenience.

The CM said that though citizens face problems during construction activities, however, an excellent traffic plan should be devised for maintaining the flow of traffic during construction of the flyover.

He said work was also in full swing on the Multan Road and it would be completed by the end of the current month.

In reply to a question of media persons regarding the Lahore Mass Transit Project, he said his government had reduced the estimated cost of the project to 1.7 billion dollars from 2.4 billion dollars due to which a saving of Rs 70 billion would be made. He said that present government was negotiating with a Chinese company regarding the project and work would start soon.

Earlier, Secretary Communication & Works Maj (R) Azam Salman Khan gave a briefing regarding the Canal Flyover Project while City Traffic Police Officer Mobeen Malik briefed about the traffic plan during construction of the flyover. The C&W secretary informed that two flyovers would be constructed on the Wahdat Road junction.

A representative delegation of Turk construction companies, MPAs Dr. Saeed Elahi, Ejaz Ahmad, the Planning & Development chairman, Sector Incharge NLC and Commissioner Lahore were also present.

Meanwhile, Shahbaz Sharif has issued instructions for raising the daily wage of work charge employees conducting spray to eliminate dengue from Rs 325 to Rs 500.

He said the government was moving in the right direction for eliminating dengue virus.

Presiding over a meeting regarding the campaign against dengue virus here on Tuesday, Shahbaz said the drive against dengue virus had been further accelerated with the consultation of Sri Lankan medical team and a comprehensive strategy had been adopted for promoting public awareness in this regard. He said Sri Lankan experts had described dengue virus as a social issue and in addition to government efforts, people would also have to play their role for maintaining cleanliness in their houses, streets and surroundings.

The chief minister said that besides provision of blood test and other facilities in hospitals additional staff and machinery had also been made available. He said the recruitment of 1,000 nurses would be made be made through walk-in-interview.

While setting up a team under the CM s Inspection Team chairman, he said that a report be submitted to him on the hospitals showing better performance regarding to provision of medical facilities to dengue virus patients. He said private laboratories would also display banners outside their premises regarding dengue test fee, which was fixed at Rs90. He said a daily report be submitted to him regarding the number of patients affected by dengue virus and other data.

The CM said that a plan had been made to reactivate more than 100 dispensaries in Lahore which had been closed for years and out of these 25 to 30 laboratories would be handed over to the Labour Department to make immediate arrangements for the provision of doctors, paramedics and other facilities there.