Chinese engineers survey Nullah Leh

A 10-member team of Chinese civil engineers surveyed on Wednesday areas on the planned route for a circular railway and expressway between the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi along the Nullah Leh.

Mir Ateeq Rehman, the focal person of the technical team of engineers, told The Express Tribune that engineers from the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) was visiting the site as part of the process to develop a feasibility study for the projects.

He added that CCECC had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) in Islamabad in May this year to develop the reports for the two projects within eight months.

Rehman added that the project will be included in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) once the feasibility reports and technical study are complete and approved by the relevant committee.

He added that the teams of Chinese experts had meticulously evaluated the sites and carried out a technical survey at Soan, Ammar Chowk, Rialto Chowk, City Saddar Road, Gawalmandi Chowk, and New Katariyan. The experts used measuring instruments to examine the zigzag pathways on the route.

“The circular railway will start from Nullah Leh and go up to the Islamabad International Airport (IIA) and the Secretariat,” Rehman said.

Later, the team met with RDA Chairman Tariq Murtaza who told them that the estimated cost of the expressway project is around Rs60 billion, complete with the circular railway and that it will be built under a public-private partnership.

RDA Chief Engineer Aamir Rashid and RDA Project Focal Person Sadoon Basra briefed the Chinese team about the Nallah Leh project. They said that the massive storm drain stretches over a distance of around 19 kilometres.

The expressway project, though stretches over 30km, from the Margalla hills in federal capital at its north-western edge, IJ Principal Road at Katarian Bridge to Ammar Chowk for 11km and culminating at the Soan River at its south-eastern edge in Rawalpindi after traversing the 19km length of the Nullah Leh near the high court at the Grand Trunk Road.

Further, they said that the Punjab government has started the process to demarcate the area alongside Nullah Leh for the project and the land acquisition project will commence soon.

A 100-km railway track will run along the banks of the Nullah Leh bank and culminate at the IIA before traversing many busy spots of the twin cities.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 20^th, 2020.