Pakistan

PM to inaugurate Nullah Leh Expressway in Feb

Federal railways minister says he will meet with Punjab CM next week

Our Correspondent December 20, 2018 1 min read

Federal railways minister says he will meet with Punjab CM next week. PHOTO: FILE

RAWALPINDI: In a bid to put a permanent end to flooding during the annual monsoon season, the government has formally started work on building an expressway along the banks of the Nullah Leh in Rawalpindi.

In this regard, Federal Railways Minister Shaikh Rasheed Ahmed — who is also the focal person for the project — said on Wednesday that he will be meeting with the Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar next week.

The federal minister further said that the government has also expanded the project with the expressway set to start from Soan Camp instead of Riyal-II chowk and will extend to the IJ Principal Road.

Prime Minister Imran Khan is expected to lay the foundation stone for the project in February and the project is expected to be completed in two years at an estimated cost of Rs50 billion — provided by the federal and the Punjab governments, Ahmed said.

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The federal minister added that the expressway will be completely signal-free and will include the construction of four to five bridges. Once complete, it will help lower the traffic load on the Murree Road by an estimated 60-70 per cent.

Apart from accommodating cars, the federal railways' minister said that they will lay tracks for a mono-train in the middle of the expressway for an expected train service.

Greenbelts will be cultivated along the expressway where fruit, flowers and shady trees will be planted. Markets will also be set up to boost local trade and commerce apart from creating employment opportunities.

To ensure that the expressway and the adjoining settlements remain safe from flash floods, Ahmed said that they will be deepening the storm drain by laying massive sewerage pipes.

Ahmed pointed out that Nullah Leh has been overflowing and causing devastating floods since 1968 resulting in the loss of scores of lives and damages worth over Rs75 billion. He added that former prime ministers Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Muhammad Khan Junejo, Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif, Yousuf Raza Gillani, former dictators such as General Pervez Musharraf, General Ziaul Haq, and Yahya Khan had all announced plans to stop the flooding in Nullah Leh by deepening and expanding it but all of them failed to implement their plans.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 20^th, 2018.