ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is likely to lay the foundation stone of the Shaheen Chowk underpass project and inaugurate the Gardenia Hub project on Friday (today).

“We are finalising arrangements for the prime minister’s function to be held on Friday,” said a CDA official involved in organising the inauguration ceremony.

Under the Shaheen Chowk project, worth Rs1.3 billion, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) will construct an underpass at the junction of Khayaban-i-Iqbal and 9th Avenue. The intersection currently experiences major congestion during peak hours due to the presence of several government offices and educational institutions in the area.

The project includes the construction of an underpass at Khayaban-i-Iqbal (Margalla Road) at its junction with 9th Avenue.

Traffic on Margalla Road will pass through the underpass, while the top slab will connect 9th Avenue with the service roads.

The prime minister will lay the foundation stone, as the CDA has already awarded the contract for the project.

Meanwhile, the Gardenia Hub project has been completed. According to the CDA, the hub is among the largest nurseries in Asia, housing over one million plants.

“The CDA Gardenia Hub represents the transformation of the traditional CDA nursery into a modern, technology-driven horticultural complex. Spread over 50 acres and nurturing more than one million plants, it is regarded as one of the largest public-sector nurseries in Asia,” read a press release issued by the CDA.

The facility, located along Park Road near the Rawal Dam flyover, was previously a CDA nursery that has now been upgraded and transformed into the Gardenia Hub.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2025