PM to be briefed on Rawalpindi mega projects

Rs40b and Rs70b have been allocated for the Ring Road and Leh Expressway projects

RAWALPINDI: Prime Minister Imran Khan will be briefed about two mega projects of Rawalpindi next week.

The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) Chairman Arif Abbasi, will brief the PM regarding Ring Road and Leh Expressway projects. Punjab government has allocated Rs40 billion and Rs70 billion for both projects in the provincial budget respectively.

The foundation for both projects would be laid next month.

Abbasi told The Express Tribune that they had prepared recommendations to complete ring road project on Built-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis with industrial and economic zones.

Future of Rawalpindi linked with Ring Road project

He added that special assistant to the prime minister would be briefed in detail first and later the prime minister would be given a complete briefing of the projects.

Furthermore, the 38.8 kilometers (km) long Ring Road project will start from Banth on the Grand Trunk (GT) Road and end at the Thaliyan Motorway Interchange.

Moreover, two, 12-kilometre-long roads will be linked with Ring Road from Rawat and Tarnol.

The industrial and fruit markets are set to operate along the Ring Road, once complete. Furthermore, various markets from the Ganj Mandi will be shifted to the Ring Road section which would help solve some of the traffic problems of the city.

Similarly, the government has decided to stretch the proposed Leh Expressway by 8km, apart from introducing some changes in its infrastructure to include a commercial area, flood channel and a sewerage drain.

The road of Leh Expressway will now be 19km long. The expressway will start from Sawan Adda near the high court and would be linked with Ammar Shaheed Chowk with an additional 6km-stretch of road.

After New Katarian, an 11km-long-road will link it with the Agha Shahi Avenue in Islamabad with an additional 2km road.

A commercial area, stretching throughout the highway, will be built alongside the expressway to cover some of the expenses incurred in the project.

Moreover, a flood channel will be built in the middle of Nullah Leh along with two sewerage trunks on both sides from which the city’s sewerage would fall into the Sawan River.

This sewerage water will be treated at a treatment plant to be set up at Ghorakpur. Later, this treated water would be used for irrigation and the residue as fertiliser.

Leh Expressway my aim: Sheikh Rasheed

Earleir in May, the long-standing Ring Road project in Rawalpindi inched closer to commencing as the authorities have issued request for proposal to four out of 16 companies who qualified for contract of feasibility worth Rs85 million of Ring Road project.

The companies include MS National Engineering, MS Omani Company, MM Pakistan, MS Zurich International and MS Associated Consultancy Center. The companies would be restricted to submit their technical and financial bids latest by 1st June to Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA).

The company which will be awarded the contract will be asked to create a detailed design of the project, geometric and structural design and the resettlement plan for those affected by the project in six months.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 20^th, 2019.