Due to the increase in traffic problems in the provincial capital Peshawar the lives of citizens have become a nuisance, especially owing to abundance of unregistered and unlicensed vehicles the local citizens are facing difficulties.
It has been observed that owed to overcrowding patients in ambulances dying before they can be transferred to the hospitals. Due to encroachment on both sides of famous Khyber Bazar the traffic system is severely affected from morning to evening every day. It is also noted that the patients going to LRH (hospital) are facing difficulties while the traffic police and Cantonment Board administration failed to remove the encroachment in the Khyber Bazar. Some days before a patient lost his life in the ambulance due to a traffic jam before transferring to hospital. According to the relatives belonging to the suburbs of Peshawar, if there was no rush the patient would have been transferred to LRH on time, while female patients of Gainey are facing death due to encroachment outside Mulvi jee Hospital.
In that regard SP Traffic Riaz Khan Khalil has said that traders and the police will cooperate in establishing peace as well as ending encroachments. He said the traffic police is aware of the problems faced and have decided to work together with the traders in the case of any encroachments. If the readers remember that a month ago Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister Excise Khaliq Ur Rehman and Minister for Higher Education Meena Khan participated in a meeting about solving the traffic problems organized under the chairmanship of Commissioner Peshawar Division Riaz Khan Mehsud at the Commissioner Office Peshawar.
In the above meeting Sher Ali and Asif Khan also participated while CCPO Peshawar, SSP along with other officials were also present but till now no substantial steps have been taken. Agreeing to official data, more than 800 illegal two-stroke rickshaws are currently in the custody of the administration those were capture by administration. Apart from this, it was decided to form a committee in the light of the instructions of Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sardar Ali Amin Gandapur in which government representatives, police officials and representatives of rickshaw association will be included as members of the committee. It will review the previous steps under TORs and propose a new strategy for a permanent solution.
Meanwhile many decisions were also taken in the Peshawar Development Authority board meeting chaired by Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur on which action should be taken. The Chief Minister had directed to construct underpasses, flyovers on Ring Road and other important roads to solve the traffic problems in Peshawar under which a total of eight underpasses and flyovers will be constructed.
It was decided in the meeting that three underpasses and flyovers and ring roads will be constructed at various busy places. Approval was also given to convert PDA-run tube wells to solar power. Establishment of PDA sub-office in Regi Model Town, action plan for establishment of education complex in Regi Model Town for which various rules and regulations under PDA Act 2017 were also given conditional approval. It was also approved to provide the land required by the Home Department for the establishment of the Forensic Science Laboratory. The board also approved the allotment of land required for setting up a paraplegic center at Rigi Model Town. Ali Amin Gandapur had said that a plan should be presented in a month for the progress on the New Peshawar Valley project, steps should be taken on priority basis for the renovation of gray structure of BRT, solar energy of all infrastructure of PDA. So, now we have to see how long these plans should be implemented. It is hoped that the Chief Minister will not waste a minute in implementing his orders.
