Newly constructed roads dug for waterlines

RAWALPINDI – Due to the lack of coordination among the institutions, the newly constructed roads of the city are being dug up to lay waterlines.

According to details, recently constructed Rashid Minhas Road, Benazir Road, Tippu Road and Jhanda Chichi Road have been dug to lay down new waterlines which trouble the citizens besides damaging the road constructed on government funds. Jhanda Chichi Road was completed at the cost of Rs 119 million almost a year back and it is being dug out. Later, water pipes would be spread from Rashid Minhas Road to Mareer Chowk on Benazir Road, and then the road would be dug out from Mareer Chowk to Rialto Chowk to lay water lines at Tippu Road.

The sources said that water lines would also be stretched to Scheme-2 from Rialto Chowk. Officials concerned said that pipes ranging from 12 to 24 inches diameter would be laid on various roads including Rashid Minhas Road which was constructed four months ago at the cost of Rs 110 million while Benazir Road has recently repaired at the cost of Rs 90 million.

When contacted, Chief Executive Officer Cantonment Board, Rawalpindi, Rana Manzoor Ahmad Khan said the waterlines were being spread under Khanpur Dam Phase-3. He said that lack of communication among the institutions has caused breaking of the recently constructed roads for the waterlines. However, commissioner Rawalpindi was informed four months back about the project, he maintained.

On the other hand, Director General, Rawalpindi Development Authority, Chaudhry Naseer Ahmad said RDA had not so far issued NOC for spreading the water pipes on the said roads.

ISLAMABAD (APP) – Meanwhile. in all, 75 cases of car-theft and 13 of motorbike-theft were reported in all police stations of Islamabad during January and February this year. Giving the details, an official source said that 75 car-theft and 13 motorbike-theft cases have been reported in various areas of the police stations during January and February this year as compared to 137 cases of car-theft and 36 cases of motorbike-theft in the cor esponding period of the year 2011. He attributed this success with effective strategy devised to control the car-theft incidents in the city and said that Islamabad police have achieved remarkable success in overcoming auto-theft incidents.

IGP Islamabad, Bani Amin Khan himself devised a plan to control this particular crime with more involvement of staff from Anti-Car Lifting Cell (ACLC). Special duties have been assigned at entry as well as exit points of the city to check this crime and ACLC teams were sent to the other districts to arrest car receivers, control this crime and recovery of stolen vehicles.

The source said plain cloth officials have been deployed at the areas where ratio of complaints about this crime is high. He said that proposal is under consideration to display photos of notorious car thieves in various markets, shopping centres and plazas of the city so that public may remain vigil against them and assist police in curbing car theft incidents.

In compliance of directions from IGP Islamabad, the SSP Muhammad Yousuf Malik has ordered to maintain the record of car thieves who had remained jailbirds and keep monitoring their activities on continuous basis. The SSP has categorically directed to curb car theft incidents in the city and not to tolerate any sluggish attitude in this regard. He also asked all SPs to introduce strict accountability system in the department to make cops more responsible towards their professional duties and provide relief to citizens.

However, police source admitted ground reality that heads of few police stations show reluctance to register the complaints of auto-theft to report `everything smooth’ to their bosses. He said that station House Officers were removed from their posts in past over theft of more than a vehicle on same day from their areas and it might be reason for not lodging FIR. “In case of such attitude from the policemen or officials, people can bring it into notice of high-ups for the earliest remedy of their complaints,” he maintained.
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