Public hearing of Rs4b project complete

Hearing of objections to the re-modelling of Rawalpindi Kachehri Chowk project worth over Rs4 billion was completed.

Representatives of the Fatima Jinnah Woman University, traders, students and civil society members participated in the public hearing conducted by the Punjab Environmental Protection Agency (PEPA). The mega project containing six underpasses will be completed in two years from the date of commencement of work after the issuance of the no-objection certificate.

The Rawalpindi Development Authority will oversee the project. With the completion of the project, traffic will flow smoothly at Kachehri Chowk and other routes including Cantonment areas and Adiala Road.

Forty people, including lawyers, businessmen, students and representatives of Fatima Jinnah Women's University administration, presented their objections to the area inspector Maqbool Ahmad. Fatima Jinnah Women's University had raised objections to the inclusion of its 38-marla land in the project and the subsequent accumulation of water at the interior and exterior locations of the university. The university was told that the land included in his project would be compensated. Four walls will be built again, and a rainwater tank will be built inside the university to cater to the needs of the university.

An environmental and meteorological assessment station will also be set up at Kachehri Chowk to gauge the pollution level and weather. Lawyers raised concerns that their path would be affected during the construction work, while the students raised concerns that the environment would be adversely affected. Businessmen said that their properties would be damaged during the construction work.

In response, RDA Chief Engineer Dr Habib-ul-Haq Randhawa and PEPA representatives said that the project will not harm the environment during and after the construction.

During the construction work, they said, two lanes will be kept open for the passage of traffic from Kachehri Chowk, and alternative routes for traffic will also be marked. Before the excavation, piles will be installed so that the existing buildings around the square will not be affected.

Consultants have already prepared a complete design of the project.

It is the only busiest intersection in Rawalpindi for the VVIP movement. This is also the busiest intersection for being in close proximity to the GHQ.

Read: Irregular shuffling of top cadre stymies RDA work

According to data, more than 300,000 vehicles pass through this busiest road daily. This intersection remains busy with traffic from morning till late at night. Due to the VVIP movement, motorists, transports and citizens remain stuck in traffic.

Kachehri Chowk is located close to other important centres, including district courts and Fatima Jinnah Women’s University. It is currently the busiest square in terms of traffic, with hundreds of thousands of vehicles passing through it daily. Because of increasing traffic pressure, it has been decided to make this most important Chowk signal-free so that the traffic from Jhelum Road, Ammar Shaheed Chowk, City and Cantonment and Adiala Road passed through it without hurdle.

The Kacheri Chowk underpass will be constructed with the latest technology.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 1^st, 2022.