Two decades on, 5 uplift projects still incomplete

Five major health, water supply and road infrastructure projects announced and approved by successive governments for Rawalpindi have yet to be completed despite the passage of 20 years.

Their combined estimated cost has risen from Rs75.5 billion to Rs342.904 billion.

A project to provide an additional 17 million gallons per day (MGD) of water is expected to be completed by December next year, while another scheme to supply 28 MGD to the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad is still awaiting approval.

The Rawalpindi Ring Road, conceived two decades ago, is now scheduled to become operational on Aug 14 this year.

The foundation stone of the Mother and Child Hospital was laid by former prime minister Shaukat Aziz on April 8, 2005, on 105 kanals of land at an initial cost of Rs1.5b. No funds were allocated between 2008 and 2018, while only Rs400 million was earmarked in 2018-19.

The cost later rose to over Rs5bn without completion. The project has now been upgraded to a 400-bed Children's Hospital, increasing its total cost to Rs9.264b. Only Rs494.402m has been allocated in the current fiscal year, making completion unlikely this year.

The Ghazi Barotha Water Channel project, designed to supply 200 MGD in the first phase and another 300 MGD in the second phase to Rawalpindi and Islamabad, was estimated at Rs35bn two decades ago. Work never started and the projected cost has now climbed to Rs170b.

The Leh Expressway, Sewerage and Flood Control project, launched in 2007 at a cost of Rs17b, was suspended in 2008 and has not resumed. Its estimated cost has now reached Rs100bn.

The Rawalpindi Ring Road, originally approved at Rs17b, is now nearing completion at a cost of Rs64.46b and is expected to become functional in August.

The Daducha Dam Water Supply Project, launched in 2005 at Rs5bn, has risen to Rs17b. It is scheduled for completion by Dec 31, 2027, and is expected to provide 35 MGD of additional water to the twin cities, though officials cannot confirm whether the deadline will be met.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the Cherah Dam project last year. It is expected to provide 28 MGD of additional water to Rawalpindi and Islamabad at an estimated cost of Rs55b, besides a Rs30b, 20-kilometre pipeline and a new water treatment plant at Rawal Dam. The project is currently awaiting formal approval.

The 28.4-kilometre Rawalpindi-Kahuta Road, a defence route linked with Kotli and Rawalakot in Azad Kashmir, was approved by

Ecnec on July 27, 2023, at a cost of Rs23.84b. Around Rs6.58b has been spent so far, but only one kilometre has been completed from the Kahuta side.