Traffic problems galore in Mandi Bahauddin district

Mandi Bahauddin: According to Punjab Development Statistics 2011, total population of Mandi Bahauddin district is 1,392 thousand persons, out of which 713 thousand are males and 679 thousand are females. Density of population in the district is 521 persons per square Kilometer.

District is spread over an area of 2,673 square Kilometers and comprises three Tehsils – Mandi, Phalia and Malakwal. The land is fertile, and with good irrigation system crops like wheat, sugar cane and rice give good produce per acre. Besides citrus fruit gardens, fish farms and poultry give extra boost to district economy. Lot of young people work abroad and send large amount of remittances back home. People are well of and as such every family unit possess a vehicle; if not car, at least a motorcycle.

Therefore population of vehicles is increasing with every passing day. Motor cycles and rickshaws are in abundance. Communication infrastructure is the same as it was in the past. However roads have been turned into Paka with concrete carpeting. Major towns including Mandi itself, Phalia and Malakwal were built before Indo Pak partition when no one considered for specifying parking places.

Due to lack of roads capacity and parking places in major towns’ phenomenon of traffic jams has become a daily routine. The situation turns worse at opening and closing times of education institutions and when level crossings are closed for passage of trains. Successive governments promised to build overhead bridge on railway line to end traffic jamming but on ground no progress has been made. People demand of government to fulfill its promise to build overhead bridge at level crossings and widen existing roads for smooth flow of traffic and saving time of public.

There is another demand of people of urgent nature and that is repairing of Victoria Bridge over River Jhelum near Malakwal. This bridge connects Malakwal with Pinddaden Khan. Primarily this bridge is for rail but it could be turned for use of vehicular traffic as well, like Railway Bridge over Chenab River near Jhung.