May 5, 2003	Monday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 2, 1424

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RAWALPINDI, May 4: The expansion of Bakra Mandi Chowk would be undertaken at a cost of Rs55.584 million to ease the problem of traffic congestion in the area, officials said.

The officials said administrative approval of the project was expected within a week and work may start by the end of the current month.

The officials are hopeful of an early completion of the project. They said the mega project would be completed within three months through round the clock work.

They said duration of the project had to be kept at minimum to avoid inconvenience to the public.

There is heavy traffic on the road and no alternate route on which the traffic could be diverted, they said.

The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) is likely to be made the executing agency for the project, though the communication and works department is also in contention.

The officials said the RDA was favourite for the job, because it had designed the project.

About the land acquisition, they said, an amount of Rs45 million had been allocated.

They weren’t expecting any problems saying people of the locality were aware of its significance.

The poor condition of the road, they said, had been hindering the development of the area.

Meanwhile, the provincial minister for local bodies and law, Raja Basharat, has constituted three bodies to supervise the work.

The first body headed by the district coordination officer would look after the entire project, while committees headed by the executive district officer (revenue) would take care of the acquisition aspect and the third one has been assigned the task of shifting of utility services infrastructures— electricity, gas and telephone— from the project site.