Two firms picked to bid for Katchehri Chowk project

Official says bidding process on contract for road venture will be held on April 2

RAWALPINDI:

Only two government firms —the National Logistics Cell (NLC) and the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) — have been selected to take part in the bidding of the Katchehri Chowk remodelling and extension project.

Sources said that documents of tender for awarding the contract have been issued to the NLC and the FWO and tenders for awarding the contract will be opened on April 2 under the supervision of the Rawalpindi Development Authority as the executing agency of the project.

Out of the two companies, the lowest bidder will be awarded the contract. The project will cost Rs4 billion and will be completed in 24 months.

According to RDA Chief Engineer Habib-ul-Haq Randhawa said that the Punjab Environmental Protection Agency has completed a public hearing of the project and work on the project will begin after the environmental agency issues the no-objection certificate.

The Katchehry Chowk 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.

According to data, more than 300,000 vehicles pass through this busiest intersection 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 while passing through Katchery Chowk.

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.

Earlier, the public hearing of objections to the re-modelling of the Rawalpindi Katchehry 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.

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.

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.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st, 2022.