RAWALPINDI: Instead of improving the dilapidated Chaudhry Bostan Khan Road from Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench to Chaklala Scheme-III, the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has decided to reconstruct it in the next fiscal year.

The road is an alternative for the motorists coming from Jhelum Road towards Saddar, Raja Bazaar and the old Airport Road due to the closer of Kutchery Chowk. Leading to the LHC bench from Chaklala Scheme-III the road has been full of potholes for the last over seven months. It connects Scheme-III and Saddar with Bahria Town, Media Town and Gulraiz Housing Scheme and has markets along the road stretching over four kilometres area.

RDA Director General Kinza Murtaza told Dawn that the civic body had planned to rehabilitate the road instead of patchworks and forwarded the plan to the Punjab government to include it in the next annual development programme (ADP).

“The estimated cost of the rehabilitation is Rs423 million and the 4.7km road will be repaired from the LHC bench to Chaklala Scheme-III in the next fiscal year,” she said.

The total width of the road is 38 feet to 48 feet and footpaths on both sides will also be rehabilitated. She said drains will also be constructed for rainwater.

“We conducted a survey of the road and decided to rehabilitate the road once and for all. The construction of the road is not be possible for the next few months as it is an alternative route due to the closer of Kutchery Chowk,” she said.

On the other hand, the residents and motorists said patchwork was necessary as the dilapidated road created problems for them.

They said that the broken road had become bumpy and accident-prone and the RDA had failed to repair it to make it traffic worthy.

Those travelling on the road face hardship on a daily basis as at certain points they have to face traffic jams. Even public transporters face difficulties in keeping their wheels moving on the road and taxi drivers refuse to go there because of the condition of the road.

Some patches of the road also develop puddles during rain.

Suhail Ahmed, a resident of Yousaf Colony, said potholes on the road take a heavy toll on his car’s engine, shocks and tyres, and it was difficult for middle class people to spend hefty amount on repair of their vehicles for no fault of theirs.

Mohammad Faraz, a resident of Gulraiz Housing Society, said that they face numerous problems due to the poor condition of the road.

Tahir Rasheed put the blame on RDA for not repairing the road and said clouds of dust arising from the damaged road added to the suffering of allergy patients.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2026