Daily Times

Sir: This is with reference to the address of the Prime Minister (PM) at the groundbreaking ceremony of the signal-free expressway in Islamabad. He said that the Rs 22 billion project of widening the existing expressway to a 10-lane signal-free road would serve to link the federal capital with the rest of the country through the Grand Trunk Road.

May I suggest to the PM that the Rawalpindi Bypass be also built? It was first proposed by Mr Bhutto in the early 1970s. If I am not wrong, there is a bridge near Adiala Jail, which might have been built in anticipation of the Rawalpindi bypass. If it had been built earlier, almost all of the heavy truck traffic, long route buses and light vehicles that have to go through Rawalpindi or Islamabad to get to other cities, could have used this bypass. Trucks travelling through Islamabad, after completion of the 10-lane expressway, will still cause congestion on the roads of Islamabad. There will be an increase in pollution and damage to the newly built expressway because generally trucks are overloaded beyond the specified axle capacity. If anyone has doubts, they may kindly travel on the I J Principal Road. In addition, all major towns and cities in the country have bypasses. Why must Islamabad be left out?
SYED HUSSEIN EL-EDROOS
Islamabad