Massive illegal encroachments along the Islamabad-Murree road, a dual carriageway, commonly known as the Murree Expressway, have become a persistent and escalating issue.
A few years ago, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, during a visit to the area, expressed serious concern over the unchecked encroachments on both sides of the road and directed authorities to address the problem immediately, but still in vain.
At the time, the Prime Minister had also instructed the establishment of fully equipped rest areas every 15 kilometers along the expressway and called for the complete revamping of the road. However, these directives remain unfulfilled, leaving tourists and commuters still waiting for much-needed improvements, sources familiar with the matter revealed.
After top brass’s riling, the Federal Minister concerned (Communications) Abdul Aleem Khan also ire by the same issue even after passage of years. He directed (National Highway Authority (NHA) and other relevant authorities to settle this issue within 15 days.
According to the NHA’s public relations department, the Minister paid an inspection visit of the road on Thursday along with Secretary Communications Ali Sher Mehsud, Chairman NHA Muhammad Sheheryar Sultan and other relevant senior officials.
Sources within the NHA informed this scribe that the road was originally planned as a controlled access expressway but later in connivance with the field staff of the NHA, a number of restaurants, hotels and guest houses were popped up alongside the road.
A senior officer at the NHA said while wishing anonymity that some officers at the authority gives favor to the owners of eateries and private business outlets to give direct access from main expressway. “It fuels the issue afterwards,” they explained. As per available information, the road had been constructed with the cost of over Rs 12 billion which is about to lose its effectiveness due to continuous negligence of the NHA that has been failed to protect its ‘control access feature even. The available information stated that the expressway in question was built to offer an alternative, fast, and uninterrupted route for commuters heading to the hill station Murree, also a gateway to Kashmir.
As per its original design, the road is a controlled-access expressway. Controlled-access road networks, such as motorways and highways, are engineered to facilitate safe, high-speed travel, with entry and exit strictly limited to designated interchanges. To maintain smooth traffic flow, commercial activity along such corridors is typically restricted, except for essential roadside amenities. However, according to available data, dozens of large commercial establishments have emerged outside the expressway’s right of way, gaining direct access to the road without any formal permission from the relevant authority , access that, by law, cannot be granted. The number of such unauthorized setups continues to rise annually, primarily due to the failure of authorities concerned to safeguard its right of way. What began as informal roadside kiosks has now evolved into prominent food outlets and commercial ventures.
During his course of said visit, Communications Minister Aleem Khan expressed his annoyance over other issues on the road. “Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan has taken serious notice of the unsatisfactory conditions on the Murree Islamabad Expressway including issues related to cleanliness, illegal parking, unauthorised pathways and other irregularities,” reads the NHA’s statement.
It added that during his inspection visit, the minister directed the NHA and National Highways and Motorways Police (NHMP) submit a detailed follow-up report regarding this within 15 days.
The minister expressed his displeasure over poor state of affairs and irregularities at this road which, he emphasized, is indicator a sense of good management for the tourists who visits mountainous spots from across the country. “Tourists from across the country deserve well-maintained and properly managed facilities here in this tourists spot,” he stated. Long queues of vehicles at toll plazas also came under notice of the minster. “The queues of motorist should be integrated the Murree Expressway with the M-Tag System, similar to the Lahore-Sialkot Motorway,” he instructed the NHMP, adding that it would enable uninterrupted travel for commuters.
The Minister also called for special arrangements at toll plazas during peak tourist seasons and the development of fully equipped rest areas between Islamabad and Murree to provide essential facilities for travelers coming from distant regions. He further instructed authorities to immediately close all unauthorized access points, prevent unregulated entry of motorcycles and vehicles and formulate a comprehensive policy to address these issues. Abdul Aleem Khan announced that he will personally inspect this road on a monthly basis. He also stressed the need for long-term solutions for broken safety barriers, proper lane markings on both sides of the expressway and overall aesthetic improvement.