Revamp of ageing housing schemes planned

Neighbourhoods plagued by sewerage failures, unsafe wiring and poor drainage

RAWALPINDI:

The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has decided to engage consultants to prepare a beautification and upgradation plan, on a pilot basis, for four of its 13 housing schemes established some 50-55 years ago in Rawalpindi city.

All 13 schemes are currently facing severe challenges, including poor sanitation, dangling electricity wires, widespread encroachments, and dilapidated roads, streets and pavements. In addition, the RDA has announced the launch of a multi-storey hospital project on four kanals of land in D A Sherpao Colony.

The RDA—earlier operating as the Rawalpindi Improvement Trust — developed thirteen housing schemes around five decades ago. These include Saidpur, Mohanpura, Sherpao Colony, Civil Lines, Asghar Mall, Ganj Mandi, Dusshera Ground and Ansari Market, among others.

Residents purchased plots, built homes and established commercial properties. However, over time, official neglect led the RDA to limit its role largely to property transfers and sales through its Estate Management Directorate.

As a result, residents have long endured serious problems such as a failing sewerage system, poor cleanliness, encroachments, broken infrastructure, inadequate drainage during rainfall, hazardous overhead wiring, and the unchecked spread of commercial activity in residential areas. These issues have frequently prompted public protests.

Now, RDA Director-General Kinza Murtaza has approved a phased beautification and upgradation programme for all thirteen schemes. As part of the pilot phase, four schemes — Saidpur, Sherpao Colony, Mohanpura and Civil Lines — have been selected under the supervision of Director Estate Management Abginey Khan. The process to hire consultants for these schemes has begun, and the projects will be implemented in line with the consultants' recommendations, with funding to be provided by the RDA itself.

Sources say upon completion of the pilot project, planning will commence for the remaining nine schemes, with the aim of revitalising these densely populated areas and addressing long-standing civic issues.

It is noteworthy that despite the passage of more than fifty years, the RDA has not launched any new housing scheme of its own, though it continues to approve private schemes within its jurisdiction. Official records indicate that there are currently 143 illegal private housing schemes in the RDA-controlled area, where plot sales and construction continue despite enforcement efforts, and several cases of fraud and deception have already surfaced.

Meanwhile, the RDA has also decided to construct a multi-storey hospital on four kanals of land in Sherpao Colony. In this regard, Director General Kinza Murtaza, accompanied by Director Estate Management Abginey Khan, Deputy Director Estate Management Masood Arshad and Building Superintendent Raja Arsalan Shaukat, visited the proposed site and issued instructions for immediate progress on the project.