UNDP backs Pindi’s urban regeneration project

PC-I of scheme says Rs73m required to revamp old city areas

RAWALPINDI:

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has joined hands with the Rawalpindi Metropolitan Corporation (RMC) to revamp the old city area of the garrison city.

RMC in collaboration with UNDP has prepared the project concept (PC-I) for the urban regeneration project of historic areas of Rawalpindi.

According to the PC-I seen by The Express Tribune, the project to uplift ancient areas of Rawalpindi including Sarafa Bazaar and Bohar Bazaar will cost Rs73.10 million.

Under the project, all utility cables would be moved underground and all poles would be removed to give the area a clean look. An end to the mesh of wires and cables will enhance the actual colonial aura of these 250 years old localities, officials said.

All stakeholders including Islamabad Electric Supply Company (ISECO), Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), and private telecom services have agreed to removing their cables and putting these underground.

An artistic view of the streets of Rawalpindi's ancient Bhabra Bazaar and Sarrafa Bazaar shared by Rawalpindi Development Authority. PHOTO: EXPRSS

Moreover, the facades of all buildings in the area would be repaired and repainted by the government without charging anything from the dwellers. These structures date back to the days of British rule while some were still there when the Sikhs ruled Punjab and the present day Khybe-Pakhtunkhwa.

Sarafa Bazaar and Bohar Bazaar are the oldest areas of Rawalpindi city possessed the quality of being residential and commercial at the same time. All buildings in the area are over a century old and most of them are in use due to their strong infrastructure.

According to officials, the buildings, with shops on the ground floor and homes on the above, are home to families living there before the creation of Pakistan. These people are not ready to leave their homes which were built or purchased by their ancestors.

RMC urban regeneration project would include rehabilitation of both areas while maintaining antiquity. The outlook of both areas would be redeveloped such that they reflect their historic values.

Meanwhile, the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) under the Urban Regeneration Project (URP) project has decided to give commercial status to the residential buildings falling in the remits of the project.

RDA will make amendments in the building by-laws to commercialise the residential buildings of the old city areas targeted for the URP, significantly increasing the value of properties in the area, RDA Chairman Tariq Mahmood Murtaza told The Express Tribune.

He added that the owners of these properties will be able to sell their properties at a much higher rate.

He also said that work on the project has already begun and soon it will start reaping benefits along with creation of new opportunities for employment and business activities.

Murtaza said that the project aims to highlight Rawalpindi’s cultural heritage by improving living conditions in the old city areas such as Raja Bazaar and the overall traffic situation in the city while promoting sustainable tourism.