Pindi mega projects put off until next year

Leh Expressway, Rawalpindi Ring Road, Daducha and Chahan dam remain on files only

RAWALPINDI:

 

The provincial government has discreetly pushed some 13 mega projects to in Rawalpindi to the next year, officials told The Express Tribune on Thursday.

Since the beginning of the current fiscal year, the administration had been making announcements to kick off mega projects in Rawalpindi at some point in time of the on-going fiscal year.

However, the officials of Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA), Rawalpindi Metropolitan Corporation (RMC), district administration as well as Punjab local bodies minister, have now started mentioning launching of projects in next fiscal year citing the shortage of funds due to the novel coronavirus situation.

The future of mega projects including Leh Expressway, Ring Road, re-modelling of Ammar Chowk and Kutcheri Chowk, parking plazas, food streets, Daducha and Chahan dams, new hospitals in Rawalpindi division, and others have once again become uncertain, they said.

The road projects including Leh Expressway and Rawalpindi Ring Road (R3) were originally announced in 2008 by then Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif. However, it has been over a decade since a brick for them is laid. Nevertheless, there is lot of talks and statements and meetings about these two highways termed as game changer for the garrison city.

The Leh Expressway has been made part of CPEC and Chinese engineers are conducting its surveys, while Rawalpindi Ring Road (R3) has been termed a project that will change the living standards of the people living around it, officials said. Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar also remained restricted to statements in this regard. However, there has been no progress beyond just conversations.

When asked about the stalled mega projects, RDA Chairman Tariq Murtaza told The Express Tribune by telephone that all technical impediments in all mega projects have been removed.

He assured that the foundation for Rawalpindi Ring Road would be laid in January next year while for Daducha Dam and Leh Expressway would start in the first quarter of the next fiscal year of 2021-22.

RDA Chairman Murtaza said that an amount of Rs6.2 billion has been released for land acquisition of this project of vital importance.

He said that 65.5km-long six lanes R3 would change the lifestyles of the people of Rawalpindi and set new horizons of development in the twin cities.

According to the RDA chairman R3 will not only reduce the traffic congestion in the twin cities, it will also provide a clean, healthy and safe environment besides making significant contributions to national development. He said that business hubs, industrial zones, transport terminals, wholesale markets, logistic and education hubs, health city, dry port, recreational parks and residential estates would be constructed on both sides of the R3 that would uplift the economy of the region and provide plenty of jobs.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 4^th, 2020.