RAWALPINDI, Sept 6: The City District Government Rawalpindi (CDGR) will close Benazir Bhutto Road from Chandni Chowk to Shamsabad on September 9 due to construction of 6th Road Flyover.

This was decided in a meeting presided over by District Coordination Officer (DCO) Saqib Zafar at his office. MNA Malik Ibrar Ahmed, Superintendent Engineer (SE) Punjab Highways Farhat Munir, City Traffic Officer (CTO) Syed Ishtiaq Shah, ADC (G) Saif Anwar Jappa, SP Rawal Town Chaudhry Muhammad Hanif and officials from the National Logistics Cell (NLC) were also present.

Traffic signals will be closed for all traffic on Benazir Bhutto Road from Chandni Chowk to Cricket Stadium Road. Citizens have been requested to cooperate with the departments concerned and traffic police officials so that the project could be completed smoothly and efficiently.

CTO Syed Ishtiaq Shah and SE Punjab Highways Farhat Munir briefed the meeting on the traffic plan and other details of the project.

Under the plan, traffic commuting from Saddar to Faizabad would be diverted to Farooq-i-Azam Road from Chandni Chowk, and those vehicles coming from Islamabad and heading towards Saddar will use IJP Road.

Rawal Town Municipal Administration (RTMA) staff will remove encroachments from Saidpur Road and Kurri Road, Sadiqabad while traffic police fork-lifters will lift parked vehicles.

No vehicle will be allowed to park on these roads.

This exercise is to be carried out for three months which is the predetermined period of time needed to complete the project.

It was also decided that the Pirwadhai underpass project and the expansion of Peshawar Road will be initiated soon after the completion of the 6th Road flyover.

MNA Malik Ibrar Ahmed informed the meeting that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had approved record funds of Rs1.78 billion. The project will help minimise traffic problems on Peshawar Road and fulfill a longstanding demand of residents of the cantonment areas. — Aamir Yasin