ISLAMABAD, June 6: The Capital Development Authority has invited bids for the construction of a bus terminal at sector I- 11/4, a CDA official told Dawn on Thursday.

The official said tenders would be received before June 15 and the project would be commissioned by the start of next fiscal year.

Under the project Pir Wadhai general bus stand and all other bus and wagon stands would be shifted to the new terminal and National Highway Authority’s (NHA) assistance would be sought to settle inter-city routes, the official added.

The NHA official said Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration and District Government Rawalpindi (DGR) had signed an agreement for shifting the bus stands to the new terminal.

He said the NHA will also construct a highway along I J Principal Road from Faizabad interchange to Grand Trunk Road (Peshawar Road).

The NHA asked the DGR, the ICT administration and the CDA to provide land for the construction of the new highway.

The CDA had started construction work for dual carriageway of I J Principal Road from Peshawar Road at the cost of Rs932 million. The project would be completed in five phases.

Some people have opposed the shifting of the bus stand saying that it would create problems for the commuters. They said all the bus stands of Rawalpindi and Islamabad had already been shifted to Soan some 24 km from Islamabad.

“As a result of shifting of all bus and wagon stands people in Islamabad have to travel a long distance to reach Soan Wagon Stand for reaching different destinations,” they complained.

Different bus stands in Islamabad have become a source of traffic mess and environmental hazard for the residents of the capital.