• Rs2bn for Islamabad’s infrastructure development
• Rs100m fixed for sewage treatment plant of Rawal Dam worth Rs6bn

ISLAMABAD: The government has dropped two major ongoing road projects - construction of 10th Avenue and Sihala flyover - from its funding list, according to budget documents for the financial year 2025-26.

Sources said the government had directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to complete the two projects from its own funding.

The Rs10.2 billion 10th Avenue project was launched in 2022 under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). The project was supposed to be completed in March 2024, but its deadline was extended twice. Even then, so far only around 44pc work has been completed at the site, according to sources.

CDA officials have been attributing the delay in the completion of the project to slow release of funds. They said the government had released around Rs3.5 billion for the project so far.

Under the project, a five-km-long road is being constructed from Katarian Bridge on Karnal Sher Khan Road (formerly IJP road) to Srinagar Highway near the intersection of G-9 and G-10 sectors.

The 10th Avenue project should be completed on priority to provide relief to citizens and avoid cost escalation. The incomplete project has been causing problems for residents of Islamabad, particularly those living in I-9 and I-10,” said Mohammad Kashif, a resident of I-10.

He said for the last three years, the residents of the adjoining areas had been waiting for completion of the mega project. 

Meanwhile, work on the Sihala flyover worth Rs770 million was launched in 2021 only to be halted later on. Now, the government has directed the CDA to look into the project on its own.

The CDA had awarded the contract of the flyover project, but after little progress work at the site was stopped. The sources said the CDA will focus on 10th Avenue as around 44pc work has already been completed on it.

Another important project was the construction of a sewage treatment plant at the catchment area of Rawal Dam to check the flow of untreated sewage into the dam. Though the project worth Rs6 billion is part of PSDP for financial year 2025-26, an amount of only Rs100 million has been allocated for it in the fiscal year 2025-26. This means the government is not in a mood to complete the project in the upcoming year.

On the other hand, the failure of the CDA and the government to install sewage treatment plants at Rawal Dam has resulted in round-the-clock contamination of the reservoir with untreated sewage and solid waste making its way to the lake via streams, particularly Korang Nullah, in the catchment area.

The Rs6 billion project was planned about four years ago under the PSPD to be funded by the federal government, but it could not get required funds. Under this project, the CDA was supposed to establish treatment plants in the catchment areas, namely Shahdara, Bari Imam and Banigala.

It is relevant to note here that the issue of untreated sewage had also landed in the Supreme Court a few years ago and the apex court had asked the relevant authorities to resolve the matter.

Meanwhile, the budget for fiscal year 2025-26 stated that Rs5.1 billion had been earmarked for three new schemes of the interior division, including Rs3 billion for the expansion of Safe City and Rs2 billion for Islamabad’s infrastructure development.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2025