RAWALPINDI: Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday claimed that so far 12pc work on the 38km-long Rawalpindi Ring Road project had been completed.
He directed the departments concerned to speed up the work and complete the project as soon as possible.
The caretaker chief minister visited the project site and reviewed progress on the work.
He also inspected the temporary bridge being built at Soan River and appreciated the performance of the FWO for the swift work. The caretaker chief minister was given a briefing by the FWO officials on the progress made on the project.
Mr Naqvi, while talking to the media, said 12pc work on the Rawalpindi Ring Road had been completed and two years given for completion of the project. He expressed the hope that the project will be completed by August.
“The citizens of Islamabad and Rawalpindi will benefit from the project after its completion,” he said.
“The Ring Road project had been postponed for a long period of time. It is like a motorway project and is the biggest project of Punjab. Five big interchanges will be built on the 38- km road. Full payment will be made to the owners for their land to be acquired for it. Not a single rupee will be left unpaid,” he said.
He also said all ongoing projects in Punjab will be completed before the deadline. He said that work on Daducha Dam was ongoing and the shortage of clean drinking water in Rawalpindi will be resolved with the construction of the dam. He said the commissioner Rawalpindi had worked with dedication to resolve the water issue for the residents of Rawalpindi.
“Daducha Dam will be completed in two years. We are also working on an extension project to resolve traffic problems at the Kutchery Chowk of Rawalpindi.”
Mr Naqvi said issues related to the hospital in Murree had been resolved on a preferential basis.
“Promotions made in every department, including police, in the last 10 months had not been made during the last 10 years.
Promotion is the right of every official which we have granted, he said.
The projects of Rawalpindi were unique in their nature and record number of development schemes have been completed during the tenure of the caretaker government.
The chief minister said the process of holding elections was being taken care by the Election Commission.
“Wherever any complaint is reported, we take action on our own before the ECP. The Punjab government is providing assistance to the ECP to ensure that the elections are held in a transparent manner,” he said.
He hoped that the next government will continue work on the projects at the current pace.
He added that the Holy Family Hospital was the biggest hospital of Rawalpindi and its renovation will be completed by January 31.
Earlier, FWO informed the caretaker chief minister that the utility services were being shifted permanently from the site of the Ting Road. They said 176 structures had been cleared and the whole land handed over to FWO. Construction work on underpasses, bridges and waterways has also been started.
Machinery for use on the construction of the road was not passing through the Soan bridge so a temporary bridge had been built there, they added.
Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2023