Flattening of speed breakers continue despite resistance

Islamabad : The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) team, led by the Additional Deputy Commissioner-General (ADC-G), Umar Randhawa started the flattening of illegal and dangerous speed breakers on the PWD Road Friday. The volume of the work is such that the operation is still continuing on even on Sunday.

“Some of these speed breakers of dangerous proportions were so strong that even the shovels were not strong enough to dismantle and flatten those. As such, pneumatic hammer drills were used to break their strength before shovels could remove the debris,” the ADC (G) Umar Randhawa told ‘The News’.

The ICT administration started work for flattening/removal of these illegal and dangerous speed breakers on this one of the busiest roads in the city on increasing complaints of motorists driving up and down this road every day to go out and return home.

The Deputy Commissioner of Islamabad, Hamza Shafqaat said that while the ICT officials were busy flattening these illegal and dangerous speed breakers some local people gathered and tried to stir up a trouble, trying to stop the work.

However, he said that the Assistant Commissioner (Rural) Muhammad Abdullah Mahmood, who was leading the operation on ground responded effectively and dealt with the situation without jeopardizing the operation.

“The miscreants were told that they could be put behind the bar for interfering in official business under section 431 ppc. Later, in consultation with senior officials and other stake holders it was decided to impose Section 144 in the area for indefinite period of time. Under Section 144 there will be a complete ban on constructing/creating any kind of speed breakers or hindrance that may cause disruption in smooth flow of traffic,” the AC (Rural) Abdullah Mahmood said.

He said that the first two speed breakers, flattened on Friday were of such strength that it took the teams engaged on the task over eight hours to remove those only.

“However, today (Sunday) the operation moved at much faster pace and another four illegal and dangerous speed breakers have been removed. The remaining one will be flattened tomorrow,” AC (Rural) told ‘The News’.

Meanwhile, he said one cumbersome U-turn, which was earlier blocked by the former AC (Rural) Umar Randhawa while he was serving in the area, was re-opened by some unknown persons, was closed once again today.

“This we have done on experimental basis and we will see what impact it would create in maintaining a smooth flow of traffic in that segment of the road. We have plans to change the closure of this particular ‘U-turn’ with a few others and whichever combination would be found most effective that would be put in place on permanent basis,” AC (Rural) Abdullah Mahmood said.

He said that the ICT administration has no problem with creating speed breakers as long as those meet the legal requirements with proper warning signs for motorists, lane markings, proper height and proper span so that those should serve as ‘speed breakers’ and not ‘car breakers’.

The AC (Rural) assured that every possible initiative will be taken that would bring any kind of relief in the lives of people living in all these societies and housing schemes falling under his jurisdiction.

He said that the lack of proper storm water drainage system on this road and in some other parts of some housing societies also is a major issue. “I intend to speak to all the relevant people in these societies and the commercial areas, especially whole of the PWD double road, which has totally become a commercial area, to find some solution to this problem as well.