ISLAMABAD: The construction work of 10th Avenue continues at a snail’s pace and it is unlikely that it will be completed in the given deadline of 18 months.

Sources told Dawn that the pace of work shows that this project will take several years to complete as 12 out of 18 months have already passed and so far, the progress on work is less than 15pc.

Work on the project kicked off in March last year and as per the PC-1, the project was slated to be completed in 18 months at a cost of Rs10.2 billion.

This project is funded by the federal government, being executed by Capital Development Authority (CDA).

In the budget for the fiscal year 22-23, the federal government earmarked only Rs350 million for the project; however, only Rs70m have been issued in the first two quarters, considerably slowing the pace of work.

“Without paying required funds to the contractor, National Logistics Cell (NLC), we cannot force the project’s completion within the timeline. The work is in progress at a slow pace and we are hopeful that in April, the federal government will release some funds,” said an officer of CDA, adding that the civic agency has been in contact with the government in this regard.

It is relevant to note here that the NLC, a couple of months ago, had also written a letter to CDA, seeking the required funding for smooth continuation of work.

The official said that there is less than 15pc progress on the work, which includes four bridges.

It is worth mentioning that the project has two phases; in the first phase (currently underway), a 5-kilometre road is being constructed from Katarian Bridge on I.J.P Road to Srinagar Highway near the intersection of G-9 and G-10. In the future, the second phase will be constructed from Srinagar Highway to Margalla Road.

In addition to funding, the CDA could face another issue in this project, as a slum area – Rimsha Colony - near H-9 falls in the alignment of the road and so far, the CDA has not taken any serious step to shift this slum, where there are about 1,400 houses.

“If the project is facing slow pace, this is right time for CDA to resolve the issue of this slum, otherwise, when the contractor will reach here then the civic agency will face another setback, therefore, at least this issue should be resolved for smooth construction of the road,” said a director of CDA.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2023