November 15, 2007	Thursday	Ziqa’ad 04, 1428

RAWALPINDI, Nov 14: The pace of development activities in Rawalpindi district comes to a halt, as the Punjab government has frozen uplift funds after imposition of the emergency rule.

Official sources in the account section of the district administration confided to Dawn on Wednesday that the provincial government had withheld the uplift funds allocated or approved for the projects commissioned during the current fiscal year.

“The funds would probably be released when the exact date of election is announced, which would give political advantage to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML), as it would utilise the money at the appropriate time,” a source said.

Mega projects including the Leh Expressway (Rs17 billion), Cherrah Dam (Rs5.4 billion), Rawalpindi’s gaestro package (Rs184 million), Ghazi Barotha water supply project, construction of sewage treatment plant, ring road, overhead bridge on Murree Road and many other schemes await funds.

Interestingly, the authorities have not yet finalised the formation of the project management unit for the execution of expressway that would be headed by its yet to be qualified project director.