RAWALPINDI, Oct 19: Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) has requested the federal government to triple the amount it has allocated for Phase-III of Khanpur Dam Water Supply Project (KDWSP) this fiscal year otherwise the project will not complete by end of 2012.

The total estimated cost of phase-III is Rs700 million and was initiated in 2010 to provide potable water to the residents of the city

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, RCB Cantonment Executive Officer Rana Manzoor Ahmed Khan said that the shortage of funds had slowed down the pace of work at KDWSP. He feared that the project would further slow if the required funds were not released.

Flanked by RCB senior officials and engineers, he said that the federal government had allocated Rs150 million for the fiscal year 2011-12 for KDWSP which was not enough to complete the project by end of next year.

He said that the RCB requested the government to enhance the allocation from Rs150 million to Rs450 million.

He said that under the project, total 12 overhead water tanks would be constructed and 30 km long water supply lines would be laid within the cantonment areas.

He said that the government had so far provided Rs108 million and the RCB had completed 20 per cent work on the project.

The RCB had laid water transmission line from Chur Chowk to Race Course Park and constructed under ground water tank at Aliabad, 502 Workshop, Adiala Road and the work was in progress at Aadra and Octroi No 22.

“We want to complete the project within stipulated timeframe and for this purpose, the RCB needs early release of funds, therefore it has requested the government to release more money for the project,” he said.

Rana Manzoor said that the RCB had launched Rs200 million worth of development schemes in different parts of the cantonment in order to improve the condition of parks, greenbelts, roads, streets, nullahs and street lights.

Development works would be completed by end of December, he said adding the civic body wanted to improve the less developed areas in the cantonment and solve the perennial problem of drinking water in the cantonment limits.

The RCB would launch water supply schemes and install new tubewells worth Rs127 million in different parts of the cantonment. Rs10 million will be spent on installation of hi-tech system at 27 water filtration plants. Three tubewells will be installed at Afshan Colony and Aliabad.

He said that Azizabad and Bokra would have one underground water tank each with storage capacity of 100,000 gallon and 200,000 gallon respectively. He said that the water supply lines would be laid at Tench Bhatta, Aliabad, Gulshan-e-Mehria, Gulshan-e-Paiker, Shabbir Lane, Bhatta Chowk, Gulshan-e-Nayyab, Allahabad, Qasimabad, Dhoke Mustaqeem, Mohallah Rajputan, Dhamial Road, Madina Colony and other areas.

The RCB had started work on carpeting of existing road from Bakery Chowk to I.J. Principal Road.

For the provision of better health services, he said, the RCB would provide Rs60 million worth of equipment for the Cantonment General Hospital and allied dispensaries. He said that the RCB had floated the tenders and the work would be started by next month.