The Kalma Chowk Underpass and Central Business District (CBD) Punjab Boulevard have been built in record time.
According to a media report, the Blue Road Initiative has also earned the project international praise. The underpass in Gulberg Lahore was planned as a key infrastructure project to reduce traffic.
Construction began in November 2022 and both projects were completed by May 2023 — a completion time of just seven months.
The report also adds that Punjab CBD Development Authority saved Rs. 9 million from PC 1’s budget by finishing the construction early. The department stated that these savings will be invested in local development projects to benefit citizens and the economy.
Monsoon Floods
While the government and various media outlets have appreciated the swift completion of these projects, people have raised concerns about the quality of work.
The pre-monsoon and monsoon rainfall lashed Lahore earlier along with several other regions of Pakistan. While the weather became significantly better in Punjab’s capital, the aftermath also includes roads becoming puddles and underpasses turning into swimming pools.
The newly constructed Kalma Chowk underpass after today's downpour in Lahore. pic.twitter.com/ria27TZ3g7
— Rao (@CasualRao) June 26, 2023
A Twitter video also showed the newly constructed Kalma Chowk Underpass drowned in rainwater. It also shows several motorcyclists having to walk their bikes across the Kalma ‘ravine’. Those who tried driving their cars through the flooded underpass are left stranded.
The local administration received heaps of criticism from the citizens over the questionable quality and poor sanitation of the project.
