RAWALPINDI: Construction of three underpasses on Peshawar Road will start after Eidul Fitr, as 70 per cent work on shifting of electricity pylons from the area has been completed.

Talking to Dawn, Punjab Highway Executive Engineer Qamar Ali Saqib said the shifting of services had been started, but the construction work will likely start after Eidul Fitr holidays to be completed within 70 days.

He said the government had directed to complete the work by June 30 before the start of the monsoon season.

So far, 70 per cent work on relocating electricity pylons on Peshawar Road from Chairing Cross to Race Course Park has been completed and the process is likely to complete by mid-March.

For the Rs8 billion worth of three underpasses, it has been decided to start work after Eidul Fitr holidays as the administration did not want to create traffic rush on the city roads. More than 200,000 vehicles are already using alternative routes,” he said.

He said that by the end of March, the work on the Kutchery Chowk remodeling project was likely be completed by 85 per cent. “Work to relocate trees in and around Peshawar Road has been completed by Rawalpindi Cantonment Board,” he said.

It may be mentioned that two flyovers and three underpasses are being constructed simultaneously to manage more than 250,000 vehicles daily.

On the other hand, the district administration imposed section 4 to acquire more than 40 kanals and prices for commercial and residential land have been fixed as per the market rates. The district price assessment committee will acquire the land as well as the land of the city traffic police.

A senior official of the district administration told Dawn that the assistant commissioner city informed the committee that most of the land belonged to Military Lands and only three deeds were registered in sub-registrar offices and it fixed the price of land per marla.

He said that notices had been served on two A class, seven B class, one B-2 class land and the traffic police offices and Qasim Market site. He said that some commercial land from Radio Pakistan bus stop to Lane 4 will also be acquired.

He said that the land acquisition will be completed within two to three weeks.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2026