RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) is planning to construct 10 shops in Fawara Chowk Parking Plaza and has made a proposal to get approval from the governing body.

Earlier, RDA had planned to add two more storeys to the Fawara Chowk Park Plaza costing Rs400 million to end the parking issue in the downtown area; however, now it claims that after the feasibility study this idea was rejected.

A senior official of the RDA told Dawn that the PTI-led Punjab government in 2019 had converted the basement of the parking plaza into a shelter home, letting motorcycles and cars parking on the main roads of Raja Bazaar.

After seeing less space for vehicles on the main roads, the RDA decided to make a plan to add more storeys to the parking plaza.

However, the official said a feasibility study was conducted and the engineering branch rejected the idea due to some technical problems.

He said that after this, the RDA planned to utilise the space of the parking area for commercial use and that the plan was ready to construct 10 to 12 shops in front of Fawara Chowk that would become an income source for the civic body.

It may be mentioned that the parking plaza was constructed in Raja Bazaar in 2010. The RDA constructed three floors worth Rs1.5 billion. Originally, the plaza was designed for six storeys, but it was stopped after three floors due to a shortage of funds.

The total area of the parking plaza is four kanals. More than 60,000 vehicles ply on roads around Fawara Chowk and require parking arrangements for 1,200 vehicles. However, the roadside space accommodates only 200 vehicles.

On the other hand, the district administration plans to construct three parking plazas in different parts of the city, and in this regard the provincial government is likely to be briefed in the coming week.

New commercial plazas will be constructed in Bani Market, the old Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation offices site on Jinnah Road and Commercial Market in Satellite Town.

The roofs of all the parking plazas would also be used for commercial purposes as food courts, hotels and cinemas would be set up there.

When contacted, the RDA spokesman said the parking plaza extension was rejected by the former caretaker Punjab government and after this the RDA planned to construct shops in the space.

He said the new plan would be presented to the governing body and work on the new project would likely start in the next fiscal year.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2024