RAWALPINDI: The Punjab government has formed a steering committee to speed up work on the Ring Road project.

Planning and development department chairman Habib Gilani has been appointed the head of the committee.

Commissioner Saqib Zafar, secretaries housing and physical planning, finance and Rawalpindi Development Authority director general are its members.

The committee will check the work so far done by the consultant for the preparation of PC-I and the proposed alignment of the road. The commissioner has asked the consultant to complete the road alignment proposal and he would inspect the site on Saturday.

Zeeruk Private Limited has been awarded the contract to conduct the feasibility study and prepare PC-I within six months. It is a joint venture of Zeeruk Limited and Engineering General Consultant Limited and the joint consortium started the work last month.

The Punjab government has allocated Rs10 million for the feasibility study.

Talking to Dawn, the commissioner said the government would procure the land for the project and Chinese Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank would provide a loan for construction of the the ring road.

He said the Punjab government was interested in launching two main projects – the Ring Road and Leh Expressway. He said the consultant would make the PC-I and submit a report.

For the Ring Road project, the commissioner said the route was selected from Chani Sher Alam near Rawat to Thalian near motorway which would be 48.5km.

He said the steering committee had been formed to inspect the work, adding that there was a need to shift the industrial zone along the Ring Road.

He said the business community was being taking into confidence before shifting the industrial unit along the Ring Road. The provincial government wanted to save residential areas from environmental pollution and in this regard commercial-cum-industrial areas would shifted outside of the city.

He said Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry and others would also meet the committee on Nov 19 before making a decision on new industrial zones in the region.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2019