LDA-style apartment project on cards for Rawalpindi

Urban development minister reviews RDA plan

RAWALPINDI:

A housing project on the lines of Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Naya Pakistan Apartments should be launched in Rawalpindi, suggested Punjab Minister for Housing and Urban Development Mian Mehmood ur Rasheed on Tuesday.

He also pushed for the idea of developing an aerotropolis – an urban area based around an airport – near Islamabad International Airport.

Minister said that the planned aerotropolis will have special economic zones, oil refinery, petroleum, engineering, IT Park, transport terminals, residential properties, education centres, health cities, vegetable, fruit and grain markets, animal markets, amusement parks and logistics hubs.

The minister for urban development directed RDA to complete the long-delayed projects of Rawalpindi Ring Road and the Leh Express Way.

RDA Chairman Tariq Mehmood Murtaza, Vice Chairman Haroon Hashmi, Director General Abdul Sattar Issani, Housing Task Force General Secretary Atif Ayub, Lahore WASA Vice Chairman Sheikh Imtiaz and other officials were present in the meeting.

DG RDA briefed Rasheed on the performance of the civic agency. He said that Punjab Chief Minister Usman Bazdar is personally supervising the Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme Project. RDA should send its workable plans in this regard for approval as soon as possible.

RDA chairman and director-general said that the project concept (PC-1) is being prepared for Nullah Leh Express Urban Regeneration Project Management Unit.

Special Economic Zones adjacent to the Rawalpindi Ring Road (RRR) project will be started as soon as possible.

Appreciating the initiatives of RDA for the provision of civic amenities, he said that the performance of the agency in this regard is commendable.

Land acquisition

Government will start the acquisition of land for the next 31- kilometre stretch of Rawalpindi Ring Road in April, said the commissioner of the Rawalpindi division on Tuesday.

Rawalpindi Commissioner Muhammad Mehmood on Tuesday said that the revenue staff was tasked to distribute Rs100 million to the landowners whose estates were acquired by the government for the Rawalpindi Ring Road project.

He added that the payment of Rs130 million has already been paid to the landowners whose land was acquired for the first 32-kilometre package of the Rawalpindi Ring Road project.

The next award of 31-km package of the Ring Road falling in Taxila and Fateh Jang has been announced and the payments will start next month, the commissioner said while presiding over a meeting on the Ring Road project at the Commissioner's Office.

Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) Chairman Raja Tariq Mehmood Murtaza, Director Finance and Development Nazia Parveen Sindhu, RDA Director General Abdul Sattar Issani, Rawalpindi Ring Road Project Deputy Director Muhammad Abdullah, and other officials concerned were also present in the meeting.

Mehmood said the awards for 10 mauzas have been announced in Fateh Jang, Attock district and payments would be made to 2,100 landowners.

He said that section four of the two-kilometre area of Ring Road in Islamabad would also be announced soon and in this regard, he was in touch with the administration of the federal capital.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10^th, 2021.