Kashmir Chowk underpass opens to traffic

PM praises completion of project ahead of schedule, below estimated cost in 27 days

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday inaugurated the Kashmir Chowk Underpass, which has been completed in a record 27 days, and praised Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi for the speed with which the project was executed.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony, the prime minister said he had never witnessed a mega project being completed so quickly in his entire political career.

He gave credit to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his team for completing the project in record time.

"Not a single mega project in my entire political career has been completed as quickly and in such a short time as this one," he said.

The prime minister said the underpass, its adjoining roads and a large number of trees and plants had been completed and planted within just 27 days.

Appreciating the transparency of the project, he said another notable feature was that the contract had been awarded through the e-PAD system under a transparent procedure and the project had been completed at a cost lower than the estimated amount.

Referring to future development projects, the prime minister announced that several more impressive projects were being planned in the federal capital ahead of next year's Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

Addressing Mohsin Naqvi, he said: "Mr Mohsin Naqvi, decorate Islamabad with flowers so that their fragrance can captivate and delight the residents of Islamabad as well as all visiting guests."

Shehbaz Sharif further said the project was not merely an underpass but a network of four kilometres of roads. Two monuments reflecting Kashmir's significance had also been constructed as part of the project.

He congratulated Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and the CDA team on completing the underpass on time.

The project had been completed at a cost of Rs1.45 billion, with the contract awarded through the e-PAD system at a price approximately 2.5 per cent below the estimated cost.

Speaking on the occasion, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the project, completed at a cost of around Rs1.4 billion, also included four new connecting roads. Around 6,000 new trees and plants had been planted along the adjoining areas.

He said the project aimed to reduce traffic congestion at Kashmir Chowk and facilitate movement between Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

The interior minister also announced that work on a cricket stadium in Islamabad was about to begin. He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would inaugurate the groundbreaking ceremony of the stadium project in the coming days.

Naqvi said the Kashmir Chowk project had technically been completed in 23 days and could have been inaugurated two days earlier.