15 years on, RDA Complex on paper only

Building was supposed to house all offices of authority

RAWALPINDI:

More than 15 years past, the apex development agency of the garrison city has yet to complete its landmark project the RDA complex.

Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has failed to make progress on RDA Complex even after 15 years of laying the foundation stone and preparing a formal model of the building that was supposed to house all the offices of the authority.

The foundation stone of RDA Complex was laid on June 4, 2005 by Syed Raza Ali Gilani, the then provincial minister for housing and urban development for Punjab, along with RDA Chairman Hamid Nawaz Raja. However, no progress has been made after laying of the project's foundation stone and preparation of its model, mainly because of lack of funds. RDA complex has not been included in the priorities as a mega project, even though the project can also be a major source of income for RDA.

Morever, RDA has also failed to make progress on the development of the city's first parking plaza at Fawwara Chowk. The project still needs construction of three more floors for parking, which has been pending for the past ten years. The parking area in the basement of the project has been removed and a shelter for homeless people has been built by removing the parking area.

RDA has also not able to make progress on its housing scheme while it has also failed to retrieve its land worth millions of rupees from the Rawalpindi Metropolitan Corporation, the development authority has so far succeeded in launching a kitchen gardening project, but despite repeated announcements to renovate the city's 100-year-old cultural infrastructure building, no practical progress has been made. According to sources within RDA, work on the pending projects will begin on the availability of resources.

Ammar Chowk project goes to CCB

The provincial cabinet of Punjab has approved the transfer of Ammar Shaheed Chowk Tunnel remodelling project from Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) to Chaklala Cantonment Board (CCB) after the project’s progress remained stalled for the last seven years.

During a recent meeting of the development authority, an RDA officer had maintained that the project was within the limits of cantonment therefore it should be transferred to CCB.

Subsequently, Planning and Development (P&D) Board of the provincial government approved transferring the project from RDA to CCB. Finally, the Punjab cabinet as well gave its nod and the development authority of relieved of the burden to complete the project.

Following the transfer, the Rs754 million reserved by RDA for the project will also be transferred to CCB. The Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metro Bus project was in the boundaries of the cantonment and CDA at the same time, but the executive agency of the project was RDA.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd, 2020.