ISLAMABAD: Almost three weeks after the Capital Development Authority (CDA) chief cut short the deadline for the Expressway project from September 30 to Aug 14, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday made an upward revision in the deadline and asked the officials to wrap up the much-delayed project within two months.

As per its original timeline, the project was supposed to be completed by March this year, but it missed the deadline, which was later extended till September 30.

“The federal minister for interior directed the 100 per cent completion of the Expressway project from PWD Chowk to T-Chowk within two months and also sought a plan to make the Expressway a controlled corridor,” read a statement issued by the interior ministry following the visit. It said that Interior Minister Naqvi conducted a detailed and surprise visit to the development project sites in the capital on Wednesday night.

CDA Chairman Muhammad Ali Randhawa briefed him regarding these projects, the statement said and added that the minister reviewed the Islamabad Expressway and Park Road projects as well as the ongoing upgradation at the Jinnah Convention Centre.

Minister visits Park Road project’s site, seeks its completion by September

According to the press release, Mr Naqvi directed the 100 per cent completion of the Expressway project from PWD Chowk to T-Chowk within two months. The contractor Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) also briefed the minister about the project and its progress.

It may be noted that in the first week of July, the CDA chairman visited the project site and directed the FWO to complete the project by August 14, instead of September 30. However, the interior minister has now directed for its completion within two months – this shows that the target of completing the project by August 14 is not going to be met.

It is relevant to note here that the CDA had awarded a contract worth Rs10.9 billion to the FWO for the rehabilitation and expansion of the seven-kilometre portion of the Expressway, from PWD Interchange to G.T. Road in Rawat on September 2022. The road had two lanes on each side and after the PWD, bottlenecks used to disrupt traffic on a daily basis.

March 2024 was the deadline, but it could not be met due to the sluggish pace of the project. However, over the past three months, the work has been underway at a rapid pace, raising hopes for its completion in the coming months.

Park Road project

The statement further said that the minister reviewed the 7.2-km-long Park Road widening project and directed its completion before September this year. He also sought a plan for diverting traffic to other routes during the works. The DIG Operations and the SSP Traffic were directed to visit the project and formulate a feasible plan. Like the Expressway, this project also saw a significant delay in its completion. This Rs1.9 billion project was supposed to be completed in December 2023, but its deadline was extended till May this year, which was also missed. During his recent visit, the CDA chief had directed contractor NLC to complete the project by August 14. Interior Minister Naqvi also inspected the ongoing work at Jinnah Convention Centre.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2024