RAWALPINDI: Commissioner Rawalpindi Mohammad Mehmood has said the rehabilitation of Sujan Singh Haveli and Bhabhra Bazar Food Street projects are in the final stages of approval for the promotion of tourism by preserving the historical identity of Rawalpindi.

“The Rawalpindi Metropolitan Corporation (RMC) has allocated funds and work on these projects will begin soon. The cost of the rehabilitation of Sujan Singh Haveli is Rs104 million and that of Bhabra Bazar Food Street project is Rs80 million,” he said.

He stated this during a visit to Sujan Singh Haveli along with MNA Sheikh Rashid Shafiq and RMC Chief Officer Ali Abbas Bukhari.

Rehabilitation of century-old Haveli to cost Rs104m; Rs80m to be spent on setting up Bhabra Bazar Food Street, says commissioner

The commissioner said following the policy of Prime Minister Imran Khan and Punjab Chief Minister Usman Bazar, the RMC had significantly increased its revenue through good governance. He said an over Rs2 billion revised budget has been approved and a portion of it allocated for the promotion of tourism in line with the government’s vision.

He said the main objective of the rehabilitation of Sujan Singh Haveli and the establishment of Bhabra Bazar Food Street was to make Rawalpindi an attraction for tourists through urban regeneration which will provide employment to the local population.

He said the one-km-long food street will be restored in the form of the two-and-a-half century-old street and the exteriors of the surrounding old style houses will also be restored.

He said Bhabra Bazaar will be turned into a pedestrian street and all power, telephone and other utility cables will be laid underground. Pipes would also be laid for sewage.

Sujan Singh Haveli is a historic building which has been neglected but the RMC will not only restore it but will also renovate seven temples existing around it, he said.

The restoration work on Sujan Singh Haveli would be carried out under the supervision of the Walled City of Lahore Authority.He said a food cafe will also be set up on the rooftop of the mansion. Sujan Singh’s Haveli and Bhabra Bazar Food Street projects will create employment opportunities for people in the adjoining areas, he added.

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2021