19 November 2004	Friday	06 Shawwal 1425

RAWALPINDI, Nov 18: The aerial survey for construction of a 28-km-long ring road in the city has been completed, said district Nazim Raja Tariq Kiani here on Thursday.

Presiding over a meeting of union council nazims, he said the survey had been carried out by a Malaysian company, whereas the alignment of the road was being finalized.

According to the plan, the ring road would start from Rawat and terminate at Haji Camp on Peshawar Road. The nazim, however, refused to disclose the proposed alignment. However, it is being anticipated that the road would connect the neighbourhoods of Adiala, Chakri and Chauntra.

The ring road would have interchanges at an interval of 1.5-2 kms to connect the neighbouring areas. Thus it would have 12-14 interchanges along its course.

The district government also plans to have a "controlled" access to this road, which means that hand-pushed and animal- pulled carts and certain other categories of vehicles may not be allowed to use the road.

The purpose of having the road running along the outer boundary of Rawalpindi is to regulate the growth of the city and lessen traffic pressure on the already congested roads. Besides, it may provide a faster access to the far-off areas.

Mr Kiani said in the absence of a ring road those travelling to areas like Chakri and Adiala had to pass all through the downtown which not only caused inconvenience to the people but also added to the traffic congestion.

There are a large number of housing societies in the area, but the construction work on most of them is yet to start. The construction of the ring road may provide a boost to the estate business in the area besides lessening the housing problem of the city.

Once the survey work and alignment have been completed, the district government is likely to seek proposals for the construction of the road on a build operate and transfer (BOT) basis.

Mr Kiani said his government would give incentives to the parties interested in the construction of the road on a BOT basis.

Though, currently there is a lot of enthusiasm about the project, it is being feared that the completion of formalities may not be possible within the tenure of the incumbent district government, something which could even decide the fate of the project.