RDA bans construction along Ring Road route

Development will be subject to town planning

RAWALPINDI:

The 50th meeting of the governing body of the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has banned the commercial constructions up to 100 meters along the proposed route of the Rawalpindi Ring Road.

“The ban on construction is meant to bring it in line with Town Planning Regulation,” RDA Chairman Tariq Mehmood Murtaza told the meeting held on Friday. All buildings along the game-changer project will be constructed in accordance with the Town Planning Regulation, he explained.

Instead of an unplanned urban jungle, the ring road project will have a streamlined city on both of its sides, he said. Facilitating housing sector In order to create ease of doing business for the housing sector, the governing body granted approval for the new housing scheme rules. The governing body also approved the formulation of Peri-Urban Structure Plan in all tehsils of Rawalpindi district except Rawalpindi tehsil. Peri-urban means rural area adjacent to urban localities.

According to the Peri-Urban Plan, zones would be allocated for land use in each tehsil so that any developer can know in which zone he will be able to carry out development activities. According to the planning regulation, the governing body also approved new housing schemes rules to facilitate the housing sector.

The governing body also discussed various issues of Gulraiz Housing Scheme such as availability of graveyard and formed a five-member technical committee under the supervision of Haji Amjad Mehmood Chaudhry, an MPA from PP-13 constituency, to prepare a report within 15 days. The meeting also discussed that which department would conduct anti-encroachment operation and which one would start development work on this land.

The governing body rejected Hailey Waterworks auction agenda of Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) and suggested that it should be further improved. Hailey Waterworks — commonly known as Kali Tanki and Chitti Tanki — on Saidpur Road was constructed in 1924 and became operational two years later, providing potable water to residents at their doorsteps. The system is functional even today.

RDA director general gave a detailed briefing on the agenda items before the governing body. The meeting was attended by the members of the governing body including MPA Latasub Satti and MPA Nasreen Tariq, MPA Haji Amjad Mehmood senior officers of RDA and Wasa, and representative of district administration.