RAWALPINDI: The Punjab government has rejected a construction proposal for the Rs50.1 billion Ring Road project by the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) and decided to start work through open bidding, inviting more companies.

A senior district official told Dawn that the Public Private Partnership Authority declared the unsolicited project proposal for the Rawalpindi Ring Road submitted by the FWO ‘non-response’ and decided to take the project forward through a solicited project proposal.

“This was decided in the fourth meeting and of the authority’s policy and monitoring board in Lahore with Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar in the last month and the meeting’s decisions were communicated to Rawalpindi Commissioner retired Capt Mohammad Mehmood and Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) Director General Ammara Khan on Tuesday,” he said.

Work to start through open bidding

He said that according to the decision, the RDA is authorised to develop a solicited project proposal for the Ring Road project on a fast track basis within three months.

However, he said, the RDA has been asked to make efforts to complete the project as early as possible.

The Lahore Ring Road Authority (LRRA) will be the executing agency at the start of the project under a public-private partnership due to its experience and expertise in this field.

However, the RDA will develop the project through its transactionadviser, while taking the LRRA into confidence, he said.

“The LRRA may change its name to Punjab Ring Road Authority to increase its scope to undertake similar interventions across the province, while legal formalities will be met in this regard,” he added.

The official said the provincial government has asked the RDA to begin additional commercial activities along the Ring Road project and the authority has been directed to redefine its jurisdiction with prior approval of the relevant competent forum to execute additional commercial activities.

“The Public Private Partnership Authority authorised the project review committee to make a decision on the solicited project proposal to be developed through the RDA,” he said.

The Punjab government has released Rs6.7bn for the acquisition of land for the project, which requires 14,600 kanals of land in 27 villages.

The road has a proposed length of 64 kilometres, originating from N-5 near Radio Pakistan in Rawat, passing through the M-1 and M-2 and terminating at Sangjani by crossing the N-5 to connect with Islamabad.

When contacted, a senior official from the RDA said the authority was already working on the project and it would be completed soon. He said land acquisition for the project has begun.

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2020