RDA takes possession of land for stations

[Salman]

Rawalpindi

In order to start construction of stations for Metro Bus Service Project, the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) started getting possession of land along Benazir Bhutto Road on Monday.

The businessmen evacuated shops near Waris Khan Stop, as they had sought time from the executing body till Eidul Fitr for vacating their shops. Some of the shops were partially demolished on Monday for construction of the stations and widening of road for the Rs44.21 billion Metro Bus Service Project while others were still intact but vacant.

According to sources, the RDA will get possession of around 19 kanals of land on Benazir Bhutto Road for the construction of terminals as it had already paid around Rs450 million to the owners of the land while the amount for the remaining land particularly those shops falling in the way of the project near Chandni Chowk and Mareer Chowk will be paid after RDA takes possession of the land.

Talking to this scribe, a shopkeeper Mohammad Riaz said: “The civic agency gave us the orders to vacate the shops till Eidul Fitr. We were also given the option by the RDA to do it all by ourselves so that we can use the waste material. All the shops where bus terminal will be built or the land will be used for widening of road have been vacated and you can see work is in progress,” he added.

The route of the Metro Bus Service will start from the Flashman’s Hotel Chowk and will end at Pakistan Secretariat, covering a total distance of 23.2 kilometres, passing through the Benazir Bhutto Road. From Faizabad in Rawalpindi, the bus will ply on the IJ Principal Road, on to the 9th Avenue and then the Jinnah Avenue and culminate near the Pakistan Secretariat. The track will have 24 modern stations for the passengers. Of these, 10 will be on the Benazir Bhutto Road, while 14 will be in Islamabad. In Rawalpindi portion, bus will stop at Flashman’s Hotel, Mareer Chowk, Liaquat Bagh, Committee Chowk, Waris Khan, Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Rehmanabad, Sixth Road, Double Road and Faizabad.

Initially, 68 buses will ply from Rawalpindi to Islamabad catering to over 150,000 passengers.

It merits mentioning here that the project has been designed keeping in view the future needs of the commuters travelling between the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The track will be built in such a way that in future it can be used for transit train service without having the need to make any further altercations.