RAWALPINDI: the pedestrian streets in Raja Bazaar and Commercial Market, on which work started in February 2025, remain incomplete, with officials saying that it will take another month to complete.
The road from Fawara Chowk to Hamilton Road, commonly known Dingi Khoi, was closed for all kinds of vehicles, and it was announced that it would be turned into a pedestrian street at the cost of Rs450 million, with underground electricity, net and PTCL cables.
However, the slow pace of work has created problems for the visitors who come to the main market of the garrison city for shopping.
Traders are also worried about the slow pace of work as well as the low number of customers who avoid coming to the market due to the construction work.
Muhammad Akhtar, a visitor to Namak Mandi, said people faced problems due to the slow construction work.
“There is no parking space for the two and four wheelers as Hamilton Road and Tyre Bazaar Road remain dug up; the worst traffic congestion is witnessed at Mochi Bazaar and Urdu Bazaar,” he said.
Intikhab Ali said he had to visit the bazaar but due to the dug up roads and construction work, he was unable to do so. “The government should have created parking space before starting construction work so that people did not suffer from the worst traffic jams and absence of parking lot in main food and cloth market,” he said.
Raja Anwar, a visitor to Mughal Sarai, said this was a wholesale market of clothes and we face a lot of difficulties to reach the market from Fawara Chowk.
When contacted, Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC) Municipal Officer Raffaqat Gondal said the RMC wanted to complete the work as soon as possible but last month, security lock down of the twin cities hampered the construction work.
“The RMC had started construction of the road, footpaths and the beautification of the pedestrian street and it will take a month,” he said, adding that more than 25 per cent work is remaining.
He said the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa), net providers and PTCL already completed their work and RMC had started work to fit tough tiles. After this, benches will be installed and green belts established.
“It is Rs450 million worth of project, Rs170 million had been given to Iesco for shifting electricity cables underground while Rs50 million were given to Wasa to relocate the water lines. An amount of Rs250 million will be spent on the beautification and construction of road, footpaths and drains by RMC,” he said.
For Commercial Market Satellite Town Pedestrian Street, Mr Gondal said more than 70 per cent work had been completed and the beautification work worth Rs370 million will be completed by end of June.
Rawalpindi Traders Association President Sharjeel Mir said monsoon is near and the construction work in Raja Bazaar and Commercial Market remains incomplete. “Wasa had also started work to lay sewerage lines and had dug up Hamilton Road and Tyre Bazaar which had affected the business of Raja Bazaar traders,” he said.
He said due to this, people avoided avoided visiting Raja Bazaar.
“The Punjab government will allocate space for wholesale market along Ring Road so we will go there and markets in Raja Bazaar will close,” he said.
Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2026