LAHORE: Punjab’s Communications and Works (C&W) Minister, Malik Sohaib Ahmed Bharth, has told his department that no road in Sahiwal will be accepted from a contractor until its quality has been checked and verified. He gave the instruction during an inspection of ongoing construction, rehabilitation and improvement works in the district.
According to an official statement issued in Lahore on Thursday, the minister reviewed both the quality and the pace of the works. He directed that field officers and staff remain present at construction sites throughout.
The minister visited the road running from the N-5 national highway to Chak 110/12-L–111/12-L via Chak 112/12-L, where he inspected the ongoing work. He also inspected work on the road from Chak 1/14-L to 38/14-L.
Both are rural link roads serving the farming villages of Sahiwal district, where such roads connect growers to grain markets, schools and health facilities, and to the N-5, the province’s main north–south artery.
On site, Bharth directed that proper dressing of earth berms and immediate compaction be ensured. He said all under-construction roads needed immediate and special attention, and that there should be no compromise on either the quality of construction or safety measures.
He singled out four areas for particular care: road shoulders, berms, stretches passing through populated areas, and road furniture. He also said contractors must be monitored effectively and any shortcomings rectified immediately.
“No construction work should be accepted without its quality being properly checked and verified,” the minister directed, according to the statement.
The instructions may sound technical, but they go to the heart of why many rural roads in Punjab fail early. Berms are the earthen strips along the edge of the carriageway that support the pavement from the side. If they are left undressed, uneven or loosely packed, rain and traffic eat into the road edge, and a new road can begin crumbling within a season.
Compaction, meaning pressing each layer of soil and base material to the required density before the next goes on, is equally critical. Poorly compacted layers settle unevenly, creating the ruts and potholes familiar to anyone who drives village roads.
Road furniture covers the signboards, markings, reflectors and safety barriers that make a road safe to use, especially after dark and where it passes through villages. Its inclusion in the minister’s list of priorities points to safety for pedestrians and motorcyclists in populated stretches.
The inspection comes as the provincial government puts more emphasis on the upkeep of roads, not just their construction. Earlier this month, Punjab announced plans to form road maintenance squads in every district. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has also said that rural areas have an equal right to public resources, and has pointed to development in neighbouring Pakpattan as evidence of a shift in priorities.
The official statement did not give the length or cost of the two roads, name the contractors, or set a completion date. It also did not say whether any defects were found during the visit or whether any action was taken against staff or contractors.
Those details will determine whether the minister’s directions produce better roads.
For villagers along the two routes, the practical upshot of the visit is closer supervision including officials on site, checks before handover, and quicker correction of faults. Whether that translates into roads that outlast the next monsoon is the measure residents will use.
Leave a Reply