RAWALPINDI: A team of Lahore Walled City Authority will refurbish over a century old Sujan Singh Haveli in collaboration with Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) Rawalpindi.

PHA Director General Zaheer Ahmed Jappa told Dawn that Divisional Commissioner Noorul Amin Mengal had directed the PHA to assist the team of Lahore Walled City Authority in restoring the haveli.

“PHA has made a comprehensive plan for beautification of the garrison city and in this regard, it will improve the greenbelts and walls along Murree Road,” he said and added that the new beautification drive will start by spring season.

PHA Director General Zaheer Ahmed Jappa said the PHA and district administration planned to convert Raja Bazaar and bazaars into pedestrian streets to attract the visitors.

“All the main bazaars will be turned into pedestrian streets and in this regard, the district administration started talks with local traders so the city will be made a model city in Punjab,” he said.

He said Rawalpindi city would be brought on par with the capital through beautification. He said they started beautician work on Rashid Minhas Road and the citizens would soon see a visible change as work was underway to preserve, beautify and reinvigorate the historic Rawalpindi City.

Apart from this, he said saplings of such trees would be planted on the greenbelts and parks which suit the Potohar region.

He said the gardeners had been asked to prepare the flower beds in the parks and the greenbelts. He said PHA would pay attention to plants, shrubs and plants which change their colours with the season as it will give a better look to the parks.Further elaborating the future plans, Mr Jappa said he also wanted to introduce yoga and other training camps in the parks.

“We will utilise the parks for educational purposes also. In the past, we just created jogging tracks only in all the parks,” he said.

However, he said we would start evening classes for the workshop children and work in the houses. He said a few female educationists were ready to start such classes in the parks. He said that Quran classes will also be started for the children.

Meanwhile, the commissioner held a meeting with PHA and other departments and said that the Punjab government had already notified the Task Force comprising 11 members for the revival of Rawalpindi city with the title of ‘Glorious Rawalpindi’.

He said all the stakeholders were on the same page concerning the revival and beautification of the city.

He said efforts were being made to restore the historic status of Rawalpindi district, adding, under the ‘Glorious Rawalpindi project’ the administration in collaboration with Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) was striving to renovate the old buildings, uplifting Rashid Minhas Road, restoring greenbelts, making entry and exit routes attractive and completing the road carpeting project of several roads including Murree Road to promote tourism.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2022