RAWALPINDI, Oct 19: Punjab Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Mohammad Basharat Raja has suggested various amendments to the proposed Rawalpindi Environmental Improvement Project estimated to cost $85.71 million.

This, he said, would save approximately $25 million and make the project more feasible and effective.

The provincial minister stated this while being briefed on the project by Wasa Managing Director Pervez Mehmood Khan. Acting District Nazim Raja Javed Akhlas and Tehsil Municipal Officer Kh Javed Latif were also present.

The minister observed that the project plan was replete with complications and carried extra expenditures.

The proposed route for laying a tunnel under sewage disposal plan is not only long, but it can also become a traffic hazard if the digging has to be carried out to a depth of more than 100 feet on a busy road like The Mall, he added.

He emphasised that the disposal point should be shifted to a deserted or barren place instead of fertile land. This, he said, would minimise the length of the tunnel.

A committee comprising Wasa MD, RDA director-general and tehsil nazim was constituted to carry out further studies and select a suitable place for initiating the project.