Bhara Kahu Bypass: Traffic Jam on Murree Road irk commuters

Shazia Mehboob

Islamabad: Due to delay in completion of the Bhara Kahu Bypass, the traffic snarl on Murree Road has become a nightmare for commuters as traffic wardens have failed to ensure the smooth flow of the traffic on the main connecting road between Islamabad, Murree and Muzaffarabad.

Not only commuters but transporters too were going through constant mental stress as there was no option for them except to remain stuck in the traffic jam for several hours daily.

According to the local residents, the traffic jam on Murree Road has become a routine affair. They said that neither the traffic police, nor other relevant authorities, especially Capital Development Authority (CDA) management, are taking the problem seriously.

The residents said ambulances also remained stuck in the heavy traffic, causing serious harm to human lives. Muhammad Usman, a commuter from Murree, said that apart from the passengers, the patients who were referred from Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Murree to the hospitals in Islamabad and Rawalpindi also stand victim of the hours-long traffic jam.

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Similarly, students studying in Islamabad and Rawalpindi face severe difficulties in reaching their educational institutions. Amjad, a resident of Bhara Kahu, said, “He often gets late reaching his college since the construction work on the Bhara Kahu Bypass started.”

Amjad is not the one who skipped his classes due to the traffic jam problem, but there are hundreds of students who often get late from their educational institutions.

Another local resident said that due to the construction work on the Bhara Kahu Bypass, travelling to Islamabad and Rawalpindi has become a nightmare. He said vehicles started getting stuck at Bhara Kahu main market, adding that long queues could be witnessed up to Malpur stop.

Maqsood Ahmed, a daily commuter, added that the road beyond the Bhara Kahu Jhugi Stop has been demolished while the construction company has neglected to straighten even the single carriageway road, resulting in a large number of vehicles stuck in long queues.

The commuters said the CDA top management never bothers to visit Bhara Kahu and return back to their comfortable offices after making a short visit to the construction site.

The local residents and other travellers have appealed to the authorities concerned to take the matter of traffic jam seriously and take measures to ensure smooth traffic flow on the Murree Road.

It is to mention here that the construction work on the Bhara Kahu Bypass has continued for the past few months. However, it could not be completed due to various push and pull factors. Two laborers were killed and many others were injured when a pillar collapsed early one morning.