RAWALPINDI: The Punjab Development and Planning Department has asked the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) to submit the project concepts (PC-I) of four schemes within a week otherwise they will be dropped from the Annual Development Programme (ADP).

The four projects are: Ammar Chowk redesigning worth Rs700 million, Rawal Road Square Rs200 million, Dry Port Road Rs300 million and I.J. Principal Road redesigning.

Work on the IJP Road redesigning could not be initiated as the RDA failed to prepare the PC-I to construct a flyover to connect 9th Avenue with Double Road at I.J. Principal Road.

“The basic reason for not submitting the project to the Planning and Development Department was that the RDA failed to finalise firms for consultancy. It also could not finalise the design of the flyover,” a senior official told Dawn.

The provincial government had allocated Rs1.95 million in the current fiscal year for the interchange at I.J. Principal Road.

Though the government later allocated the funds in its ADP, the RDA is yet to complete the PC-I.

The official said the RDA had hired a consultant which came up with more than nine proposals for the construction of the interchange, but they were rejected by former Commissioner Azmat Mehmood. Now the consultant is not ready to present more proposals.

He said the redesigning of Ammar Chowk worth Rs700 could not be approved from the RDA governing body. “Though the designing of a flyover and an underpass was prepared a year ago the PC-I will be sent to the planning and development department after approval by the housing department,” he said.

The previous PC-I worth Rs634 million was approved by the government in 2013 but work could not be started due to the metro bus project in the garrison city.

The official said in 2013 the military authorities had asked the civic agency to construct the flyover and underpass so that during VIP movements between garrison headquarters, the airport and General Headquarters (GHQ) traffic would not be blocked in the area.He said after consultations with the garrison engineers a plan was prepared but the provincial government refused to provide funds citing the mega metro bus project in the city.

However, after the completion of the metro bus project, the government directed the RDA to send fresh PC-I of the project for the allocation of funds.

He said the government also asked the RDA to construct a square at Rawal Road worth Rs200 million and name it as Shahbaz Chowk. However, the project design was still pending with the commissioner. If the commissioner approves the design it would be forwarded to the planning and development department.

When contacted, RDA Chief Engineer Ather Hussain Bukhari confirmed that the planning department had asked for the submission of the PC-I within a week.

He said work on the projects would be started after approval from the planning department. The RDA is working on the projects and will forward it to the planning department soon, he added.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2017