GUJRAT: Land acquisition for the construction of six-kilometre long industrial area link road as well as the construction of a flyover on railway track near Servis Mor along old GT Road, has been initiated by the land revenue department.

A sum of Rs154 million will be spent on the acquisition of the land for both the projects out of which the government has released around Rs100 million.

As per plan, the 0.75-kilometre long flyover will start from right in front of Swedish College along old GT Road and after crossing over the railway track it will get down near the GT Road bypass from where a six-kilometre long industrial area link road will be constructed.

The said road will be a dual carriageway to connect the proposed site for phase 2 of the industrial area with the city’s old GT Road and Gujrat bypass whereas the under construction 30-kilometre long Samman-Dinga Road will also be connected with the said route keeping in the view the needs of industrial area’s business activities.

A senior administrative officer told that the PML-Q leader MNA Chaudhry Moonis Elahi had proposed both the projects to expand the city’s limits aimed to reduce the population’s inflow in the existing areas of the city as well as pressure of traffic that would often remain choked at railway crossing near Saen Raja shrine along old GT Road which has been the city’s main entry and exit point.

As per an official estimate, a sum of Rs717 million will be spent on the single track flyover whereas a sum of Rs1 billion will be spent on the construction of industrial area link road.

Official sources said that at least Rs108.7 million were required for the acquisition of around 36 kanal for the construction of flyover however a sum of Rs55 million had recently been released by the federal government’s planning and works department after the district price assessment committee (DPAC) had assessed the price of required land whereas a sum of Rs45 million had earlier been released for the acquisition of around 37 acre for the project of constructing link road and the acquisition for the said road project had already been under process.

Gujrat Assistant Commissioner Salman Zafar Dhothar who is also a land acquisition collector (LAC), has been completing the land acquisition process for both the projects.

It is learnt that the technical bid for the flyover project has already been approved and it is now in the phase of opening the tenders whereas the contract of link road construction has also been awarded to a contractor firm that may initiate the execution by the next month.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2021