RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) will hand over Package-II of metro bus project (from Committee Chowk to Chandni Chowk) to Punjab Masstransit Authority (PMA) in the next 10 days.

This was decided in a meeting held to review the performance of Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA)’s directorates including Metropolitan Planning and Traffic Engineering (MP&TE), Land Development and Estate Management (LD&EM) and Engineering Directorate.

The meeting was presided over by RDA Director General Rana Akbar Hayat, and attended by Director (Admn & Finance) Rao Atif Raza, Director MP&TE Jamshaid Aftab, Director Engineering Amir Rasheed.

In December 2017, the RDA started handing over the project to the Punjab Metrobus Authority and clearing contractors’ liabilities.

Repair of elevated road from Committee to Chandni Chowk will take 10 days

The Rs44.84 billion metro bus project was completed in 2015.

The total length of its track is 23km including 8.6km elevated from Saddar to Faizabad and 14.4km from 9th Avenue to Pakistan Secretariat.

The project includes two flyovers, 14 pedestrian underpasses, 13 vehicular underpasses and 24 bus stations including 10 in Rawalpindi and 14 in Islamabad.

The bus stations have 83 escalators, 83 elevators and 432 automatic platform screen doors. Total buses are 68.

“We handed over all the packages to PMA except for Package-II as the authority refused to take it because its elevated road needed repair as it was leaking.

However, we have started the repair work and it will take 10 days,” a senior official of the RDA told Dawn.

He said that in the first step, all bus stations from Chandni Chowk to Pakistan Secretariat were handed over to the authority in January and March 2018 and the portion from Committee Chowk to Chandni Chowk will be handed over next week,” he said.

“The RDA team of engineers will inspect the site before handing it over to the PMA,” he said.

Meanwhile, RDA Director General Rana Akbar Hayat ordered repair of streetlights from Koral Chowk to Benazir Bhutto airport.

He said the general public must have complete knowledge of building and zoning regulations and illegal housing schemes.

He directed the employees to work honestly and diligently to address citizens’ grievances.

He directed the RDA officials to take strict action against illegal constructions and commercial activities without any fear and favour.

He said the police staff would continuously work with RDA’s Building Control Wing for conducting operations against illegal commercial cum residential constructions.

The RDA director general stressed upon the importance of speedy work, insisted to execute ongoing work that included in Annual Development Programme (ADP) on fasttrack basis.

Furthermore, he also highlighted the need to update RDA’s official website.

He also directed the officials concerned to upload details of illegal private and cooperative housing schemes of Rawalpindi that came under the RDA on its official website.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2018