Kacheri Chowk set for major revamp

Govt approves Rs2b project to widen area, including underground utility lines

ISLAMABAD:

The provincial government has approved the commencement of the Kacheri Chowk mega development project in Rawalpindi, set to start next month.

Sources within the Punjab government informed The Express Tribune that the project design has been approved. The development will proceed in two phases: initially, electricity wires in service lines will be placed underground. The second phase will involve laying gas, water, and communication lines.

Meanwhile, a survey for widening Kacheri Chowk has been completed. Planned constructions include an underpass from Potohar Avenue to Mall Road, an overhead bridge from Potohar Avenue to Gymkhana Road, another overhead bridge from Civil Lines to Mall Road and Jhanda Chichi Road, and an underpass from Police Lines Chowk to Jinnah Park.

During construction, parts of the FBR Regional Building, Kacheri Chowk, Fatima Jinnah Women University, Lal Kurti Chowk, and Rawalpindi Commissioner House will be affected, with some sections undergoing reconstruction.

A temporary protective wall has been built on the Fatima Jinnah University side. The project will utilise 14.685 kanals of Fatima Jinnah University's land. Other areas affected include 10 kanals of Army Quarters land, seven kanals from Kacheri District, two kanals from Nazar Chowk, 735 kanals from the Local Government Office Sub-Decimal, three kanals from the Income Tax Office, five kanals from Police Lines, and 1.5 kanals from Jinnah Park.

The estimated cost for the first phase of the Kacheri Chowk widening project is Rs2 billion.

Member of the National Assembly, Engineer Qamar Islam Raja, emphasised that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's (PML-N) manifesto focuses on serving the people. He noted that Mall Road will also become signal-free upon project completion.

Raja described the Kacheri Chowk project as a gift from Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif to the citizens of Rawalpindi.