Many official and semi-official buildings boast capacity beyond their requirements. Others enjoy a grandiose appearance that is in stark contrast to the country’s depressing economic situation. Thus, a substantial amount of public taxes could be saved if planners and designers kept austerity in mind. When designing public buildings, grandeur is preferred over simplicity and high-sounding titles come in handy towards this end. A government organisation previously called a department is often renamed an authority, to give the impression of something wonderfully important. Near Thokar Niaz Beg, which has now been transformed into a traffic hub, plans are underfoot to build a multistorey complex that will house the Punjab Agriculture, Food and Drug Authority (PAFDA). The nine-storey building is expected to cover an area of 3,20,000 square feet and will be built upon 64 kanals of prohibitively expensive land; at a market rate of about Rs20million per kanal. The building has been under construction for the last half-decade or so. It’s easy to guess whether a certain building is owned by the public or private sector. If pace of the construction is rapid – it is the latter. All taxpayer-funded projects, by contrast, tend to rattle along at a snail’s pace. PAFDA is located close to the NAB office and the so-called Bab-e-Lahore (Lahore Gate). Incidentally, the contract of Lahore Gate’s construction was initially awarded at a cost of Rs25 million. When it was finally completed the reported price-tag was Rs80 million. Passing through the Gate every day, I can’t help but lambaste the planners and designers over the sheer absurdity of the structure and choice of location. Eighty million rupees of public money could have been utilised to build rural health centres or schools in the villages. Instead, we are left with a monstrosity that impedes traffic, all on the pretext of beautification. In any case, Lahore, once the city of gardens, is fast turning into a concrete jungle. Passing through the Lahore Gate every day, I can’t help but lambaste the planners and designers over the sheer absurdity of the structure and choice of location. Eighty million rupees of public money could have been utilised to build rural health centres or schools in the villages A private businessman cannot afford any delays to a building project, since price escalation over time naturally increases overall construction costs. But in the case of public buildings, the opposite holds true. For contractors can use the escalation clause as a means to boosting the value of the initial contract, citing delays in payment or some other such ruse. Whatever the case, officials are only too ready to oblige and both parties benefit. As if all this were not enough, the flashy government buildings that are designed these days are supposed to be air-conditioned, as if we have electricity to spare. Large cities don’t suffer as much from power outages as small cities and rural areas. Those living in backward districts like Dera Ghazi Khan in the Punjab have learned to live without electricity. A typical evening scene is one where four to six shirtless men lounge, with hand-held fans, on a large squarish charpoy, called hamacha in local lingo. They join a few such hamachas to sit together to discuss local politics and share inside stories among themselves. Electricity or no electricity. Sometimes, credit is deserved. The 10.7km-long Hudiara Drain-Thokar Niaz Beg project, as part of the Multan road extension, is progressing well. The National Highway Authority (NHA), especially project director, Imran Hussain, have been working hard to complete the venture on time. An officer without bureaucratic trappings, Mr Hussain had to proceed with his assignment while simultaneously addressing public complaints. Removing encroachments amicably is always a teething problem. We are usually quick to criticise government officials for negligence but tend to act miserly when appreciating those who perform their duty diligently. This stretch of Multan Road, with industries on either side, serves as a major entryway to and exit point from the provincial capital and rightly deserves special attention because of traffic density flows. The road has now been expanded to accommodate spacious U-turns provided at appropriate distances. If, despite the widened roads, the traffic remains congested – this shows lack of supervision by the relevant traffic department. In view of public interest, developing the road network must take precedence over erecting large public sector buildings. Roads connect cities and facilitate public movement. One example to quote is the Lahore-Multan Motorway as well as the multi-lane road that connects Muzaffargarh district to that of Dera Ghazi Khan. The journey from Lahore to DGK that once took about eight hours has been reduced to four-and-a-half hours. People hold the movers and shakers behind such road networks that were carried out by the previous regime in high esteem. The writer is a Lahore-based columnist and can be reached at pinecity@gmail.com