RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) and the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) submitted six new schemes with the Punjab government for the next annual development programme including the ring road project and one for supplying water to Rawalpindi city from Daducha Dam.

A senior RDA official told Dawn that the provincial government had asked the civic bodies to submit schemes for new annual development programmes as it wanted to finalise them in April.

He said the annual budget will be announced by the PML-N government before the establishment of caretaker governments in the provinces and the centre.

He said the RDA has submitted three schemes in the annual development programme including the project for establishing a 57-km ring road from Channi Sher Alam to Fatehjang, work on which will likely start in the next fiscal year with the help of the Asian Development Bank.

PML-N govt will announce the annual budget before establishment of caretaker govts in provinces, centre

The other projects include a flyover on I.J. Principal Road to connect 9th Avenue the feasibility study for which a feasibility study was conducted this fiscal year and the remodelling of Ammar Chowk, which will also be conducted in the next fiscal year, he added.

He said the ongoing schemes will also be included in the next annual development programme as the provincial government had not released money for two schemes including underpasses at Liaquat Bagh and Marrir Chowk.

Wasa has submitted three new and nine ongoing schemes for the next annual development programme.

“The feasibility study for a sewerage treatment plant will be conducted in the next year and work on the project will also be completed next year,” a senior Wasa official said.

He said the groundwater table is depleting fast in the city areas and that Wasa will conduct a study to see if new tubewells should be installed. There are currently 410 tubewells in the city.

Bringing in water from the Daducha Dam will also be part of the new development schemes, he said.

A senior district administration official told Dawn that the provincial government will approve development projects worth Rs1 billion for Wasa, Rs700 million for RDA and Rs150 million for the Parks and Horticulture Authority.

“About Rs16.6 billion will be allocated for urban development across the province and will be distributed across the 36 districts of the province and many projects will get funds from the grant-in-aid. The rest will be included in the annual development programme for FY 2018-19,” he said.

When asked, RDA Chief Engineer Ather Hussein Bukhari said the civic authority has submitted its development schemes and that the annual development programme will be finalised next month.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2018