RAWALPINDI: After religious groups kept Faizabad blocked for about three weeks, the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC) decided to construct alternative routes from the city to the capital.

The corporation plans to start work on two roads costing Rs78 million.

The process to start the construction of a road from Dhoke Dalal to I.J. Principal Road along Leh Nullah has started and the project will cost Rs45 million. On Saturday, the RMC removed encroachments near Kattarian Bridge.

RMC takes decision after recent blockade of Faizabad by religious groups

As many as 40 families had occupied the land along Leh Nullah with temporary shelters which were removed by the RMC officials. After clearing the area, the construction of the road will start next week.

The second road will be constructed from Siddiqui Chowk in Satellite Town’s F-Block to I.J. Principal Road via the old passport office. The project will cost Rs33 million and work on it is likely to be started in January.

“After the sit-in at Faizabad, we realised that there was a need to end the traffic rush on Double Road and other arteries towards Islamabad,” Chief Municipal Officer Khalid Javed Goraya told Dawn.

He said the road from Dhoke Dalal to I.J. Principal Road would be four kilometres long and would be constructed on both sides of Leh Nullah.

The residents of Bagh Sardaran, Dhoke Naju, Dhoke Dalal and Khayaban-i-Sir Syed will benefit from the project. He said one side of the road would be 3.7 kilometres and the other three kilometres long. “The width of both the sides will be 18 feet,” he said.

The road from Satellite Town to IJP Road will be dualised. The width of the existing road is not enough to cater to the two-way traffic so we have decided to remove the encroachments along the road and widen it.”

He said notices would be issued to the residents and after 15 days all the encroachments would be removed. He said the two-kilometre-long road would be constructed at a cost of Rs33 million.

In reply to a question, the official said World Bank’s funds for the improvement of infrastructure in big cities would be utilised for the road projects. He said more than six roads in different city areas would also be constructed.

The official said the RMC had received Rs270 million under the WB project and would spend it on the construction of roads. The funds would also be utilised for the improvement of the Municipal Corporation Public Library, slaughterhouse and Pirwadhai general bus stand. He said work on the three projects would also be started soon.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2017